"My Father, The Liar"

Directed by Bob Hoskins, written by Paul Fraser

This short film portrays many emotions and themes including loneliness, mental illness and childhood. A father and his child are pictured in the first few scenes chatting and walking through an empty estate. This is a representation of the emptiness in each of their lives. They talk about petty things such as tea which shows the innocence of the child.

The camera angles portray the son as being equal to the father in that because the child is standing on a wall, he appears slightly taller than the father, this subconsciously gives the two equal status.

Sound is minimal throughout the piece which again highlights a theme of loneliness. There is no non-diegetic sound whatsoever in the whole of the piece and this makes the film seem more raw and voyeuristic. As if you were watching a snippet of someones life. Throughout the piece the father seems to keep bringing up questions relating to the child's mother. This is suggesting that he may miss her or want her back, which again stresses a feeling of loneliness.

The child is shown to idolise the father in everything he does, from throwing away his crusts to saying "I'm tracing your footsteps". The child's dialect is obviously heavily influenced by his fathers and this gives the film an almost comical edge to it, enough to make it less heavy but not ruin the main ideas behind the film. An example is when he calls his dad "mate".

When the mentally ill man is introduced the child's innocence is truly shown, whilst the father is not at all phased by him. The child is intrigued and shocked by the man's behaviour. He stops with a look of fear in his eyes and when he is noticed by the mentally ill man he runs away. This makes the audience feel a kind of worry for the child and attaches them to the film.

Another example of the child taking a great influence from his father is when they sit down on the bench, they both open up their reading material in the same way and you feel as though you are watching the same man only in different times.

The lighting in all of the shots seems to be quite dull giving the viewer no bright or vivid colours, this helps to concentrate on the action in the film. When the man jumps off of the platform this is especially useful. The child runs off and when his father catches up with him the way he shouts "come here" is really integral to the character. The tough love sort of shout really shows how while keeping his "alpha male" status, he shows a true love for his son.

Bibliography:
1. Bob Hoskins. (2008). My Father, The Liar. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSt1JA9g90&feature=related. Last accessed 5th February 2010.