The life of detectives in The Little things 2021
The film is a crime drama movie based on character development rather than action. The philosophical aspect of the movie drew me in to write a review about it. The little things is a crime drama film that follows detectives haunted by the crimes they are trying to solve. The film is set in a fictitious Angels’ city. Failure to solve cases and the guilt of killing a person triggers depression in law enforcement officers.
Divorce affects the quality of life men live afterward. The story unfolds in 1990 whereby Joe Deacon, the main character in the film, a former LA cop, is subjected to perform investigations on a serial killer who has terrorized Angels' city. It is revealed that Deacon is divorced and suffers from a heart condition. The impact of divorce on men is portrayed by the unfulfilling life that Deacon is living. He resides in a motel and does not seem to have any meaningful social life whatsoever. For instance, Deacon claims not to be triggered in any way by the pungent smell of decomposing bodies, which indicates some form of disconnection from human norms. Despite being haunted by his victims' ghosts he failed to solve for their murder case, he willingly joins a young working detective, Jim Baxter, to hunt down the serial killer who executes the crimes. The special effects used to portray the friendly human ghosts is the faded picture.
Double standards in Law enforcement is the aspect of judging people differently based on their previous lifestyles. Discrimination is evident in the scene whereby Baxter is interrogating a registered sex offender on the murder cases. Due to the suspect's prior crimes, Baxter assumes that the man is guilty of committing the unsolved murders. Misconceptions and the presumption that a specific person has committed a crime are common mistakes observed in law enforcement. The police department, detectives, and judges have, on many occasions, instigated punishment to the wrong person based on societal misconceptions. However, after a lack of enough evidence to convict the registered sex offender for the crimes, Baxter eventually lets him go. While running errands in the city, Deacon comes across a loner who projects criminal energy due to his uneasiness in the presence of a law enforcement officer. Due to the Deacon's prowess in criminology, he takes in the suspect, Albert, for questioning at the police station. For Albert, justice takes a different perspective. Despite the signs he projects from his extreme conversance to the killings, he is not convicted. Deacon and Baxter are motivated to look out for more evidence in Albert's life to establish a correlation between crimes and him before convicting him. For Albeit, the principle of; innocent until proven guilty' seems to hold its ground, although the condition does not hold for the registered sex offender who is interrogated violently. From the two accounts, the double standard in the criminal justice system is portrayed.
Guilt due to partial fulfillment of one's responsibilities, such as solving murder cases or killing a person under self-defense, can trigger depression. Mental instability from severe depression is a common condition that is affecting many police officers. Depression can trigger mental instability and even mental problems. Law enforcement detectives are vulnerable to depression compared to professionals in other fields. Depression and mental instability are recurring themes in the film. While in his hotel room, Deacon experiences hallucinations as he sees and talks with dead women's ghosts for which he could not find their murderer. Hallucinations are a sign of schizophrenia, a condition whereby a victim experiences some form of disconnection from psychic functions. If a person cannot recover from this state, they sink into severe depression and mental instability. Depression affects a person's quality of life, and it's mostly the culprit behind suicide ideation. As they continue to track the serial killer, mental instability and depression crawl up to Baxter. He starts to react to scenarios impulsively with no regard to the reaction magnitude. For instance, when Albert cracks a joke on Baxter's inefficiency to protect a victim, Baxter is triggered and shoots Albert; thus, losing the main suspect behind the serial killings. A similar degree of impulsiveness is seen in Deacon, as he accidentally shoots the woman he has been trying to solve for her disappearance case for the last five years.
When religion is applied correctly, it can help humans recover from Depression and regain hope back in life. Christianity is a recurring theme portrayed by the many symbolic placements in several scenes and conversations between the characters. As Deacon is driving running errands, he looks keenly at a big white cross on the hills, a Christian cue for looking up to their savior for mercy. In Deacon's hotel room, there is a religious painting that he keeps looking at when Christian symbols take a significant amount of time when they appear in scenes. When Baxter takes his daughters to sleep, he always reminds them to pray. In a study conducted on a Jewish community, selected respondents from the sample size confirm that previously depressed people who get introduced to religion after recovering, 73% don't suffer from a relapse. Depression is dependent on various aspects such as age, social class, genetic makeup, and drug abuse history. However, people who are pre-dispositioned to Depression but have a solid spiritual identity are less likely to wind down that path. Due to the recurrence of Christianity symbolisms and mannerisms, it is clear that the film emphasizes religion's importance in social and personal settings.
The movie is a crime-investigation film in the genre of crime and drama. It portrays the emotional side of crime investigation, and the strain law enforcement impedes on detectives. The storyline describes the functions of a law-enforcement department from a detective's perspective. To improve the department's efficiency, veteran and modern techniques are employed to solve crime cases. Deacon constantly tells Baxter to always be on the lookout for tiny details that a criminal may fail to cover. He instructs the young detective not to overlook the crime but instead to look out for preliminary information. Other themes portrayed in the film include Religion (Christianity), justice, depression, and mental instability.
The film techniques used in the film include; Aerial perspective as the camera shoots over the objects at an elevated vantage point. In the movie, the shot is evident as Deacon drives into the hypothetical Angels' city. Dutch angle shot is when the camera is tilted on its x-axis such that the actors appear to have a noticeable tilt on the screen. The shot is used to emphasize the magnitude of the emotions of the characters. A camera tracking shot is when the camera physically moves through a scene for a considerate amount of time. The camera seems to follow the action. For instance, in the car chase as the detectives follow Albert, the suspect. The two-shot perspective is when the camera frames the view of the objects within the scene, one being in the foreground while the other is in the background. This shot is used in the film as the Deacon approaches Baxter after killing Albert. Bird's eye view is when the camera observes the characters who are directly below. In the movie, the camera spans upwards to capture an overhead view of the scene. The sound effects used include; realistic, evocative, affirmative, and realistic effects. Sound effects are incorporated to allow the themes in the film to resonate better with the audience. For instance, when Deacon starts to see the ghosts, an eerie sound sets up the scene for sympathy on the victims. As the detective's face, the suspect, upbeat music creates an exciting stage in the car chases. The film is set under the drama genre due to the emotions and self-conflict experienced throughout the film. Self-conflict is evident as the detectives try to uncover the serial killer's details who have been executing citizens. As the failure to determine the culprit goes on, the detectives begin to crack under the pressure of dissatisfaction from not fulfilling their responsibilities.
SCENES
Fig 1. Christianity symbolism
Fig 2. Christianity symbolism
Fig 3. Friendly ghosts
Fig 4. Dutch angle shot
Fig 5. Two shot perspective
Works Cited
Bonneli, Raphael, Rachel Dew, Harold G. Koenig, David H. Rosmarin, and Sasan Vasegh. 2012. "Religious and Spiritual Factors in Depression: Review and Integration of the Research." Depression Research and Treatment 1-8. Accessed April 1, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/962860.
Ebieri, Bilge. 2021. Little Things, Big Problems. Accessed March 21, 2021. https://www.vulture.com/a2021.
Picchioni, M, and R Murray. 2007. "Schizophrenia." BMJ (Clinical research ed), July 14: 91-95. doi:10.1136/bmj.39227.616447.BE.
Tallerico, Brian. 2021. The. Accessed March 29, 2021. https://rogerebert/reviews/the-little-things-movie-review-2021.
Violanti, J, L E Charles, E Hartley, P Baughman, M Andrew, D Fekedulegn, and A Mnayasakanova. 2017. "Police stressors and health: a state-of-the-art review." Policing, November: 642-656. doi:10.1108/PIJPSM-06-2016-0097.
2021. The Little Things. Directed by John Lee Hancock. Performed by Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer, Michael Hyatt, Terry Kinney, Isabel Araiza, and Joris Jarsky.
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