A radio journalist unexpectedly ends up as the temporary guardian of his 9-year-old nephew. He is traveling America at the time, interviewing children about the future. Through the relationship between the 2 of them, you see what each one is missing and needs. Mike Mills' film is a conversation between an adult who has stopped listening and a child who will not stop asking.
C'mon C'mon is a 2021 drama film directed by Mike Mills. This breakdown covers 4 techniques (2 cinematography, 1 psychology and 1 narrative), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Schindler's List uses several of the same techniques.
Choosing to shoot in black and white to take away the comfort and pleasure of color. The film feels more serious, and you watch as a witness.
How this film uses it
Robbie Ryan shoots in black-and-white so that color can't distract you from the emotions. With no color, you pay attention to faces, to how well people listen and to how the relationship feels. The surroundings stay in the background.
Where to see it
Johnny and Jesse walking through New Orleans. In black-and-white, the city becomes a textured backdrop. All your attention goes to the 2 faces moving through it.
Shooting with a handheld camera so the frame shakes and moves with the action. This documentary-style look, called cinema vérité, puts you uncomfortably close to the character.
How this film uses it
Ryan shoots handheld, which makes the film feel like the radio documentaries Johnny is making. The camera catches things as they happen. The framing is imperfect, and that makes it feel like someone was really there.
Where to see it
Johnny interviewing children on camera. Because there is a documentary inside the story, the handheld style has a reason to be there. The way the film looks matches what it's about.
Placing a child in the middle of adult moral failures and making them face a choice they can't fully understand. You understand what the child doesn't, which is where the horror comes from.
How this film uses it
Jesse understands his father's mental illness the way a child does, only in part, and he has taken in more than he should have. He knows enough for it to hurt him. He doesn't know enough to process it the way an adult could.
Where to see it
Jesse explaining his father's situation to Johnny. His account is precise and heartbreaking. Suddenly, the adult in the room is less sure than the 9-year-old about how to understand what is happening.
Watching events from a measured distance with no swelling music, tear-jerking close-ups or showy camera moves. The film trusts what happens to carry the weight on its own.
How this film uses it
Mills films the relationship between Johnny and Jesse as it grows through ordinary time (hotel rooms, city walks, arguments about bedtime). No single scene announces that they care about each other. You see the affection build up over many small moments.
Where to see it
Jesse falling asleep against Johnny on the plane. The film just watches the moment and doesn't comment. The physical closeness carries all the emotion, and any spoken declaration would only weaken it.
Questions
C'mon C'mon: quick answers
What filmmaking techniques does C'mon C'mon use?
CineCode breaks down 4 techniques in C'mon C'mon (2021): Black-and-White as Moral Urgency, Handheld Cinema Vérité, Child's Forced Moral Burden and Observational Restraint.
Who directed C'mon C'mon?
Mike Mills directed C'mon C'mon, released in 2021. CineCode also covers Beginners (2011), 20th Century Women (2016).
What films are similar to C'mon C'mon?
Films that share techniques with C'mon C'mon include Schindler's List (1993), The Elephant Man (1980), Moonlight (2016), 12 Years a Slave (2013).
