Narrative technique · used in 2 films
Telling a large historical tragedy through a small domestic or personal story, so the loss is felt through individual lives.
Examples
Isao Takahata · 1988
You never see the war as a military operation. You experience it as firebombing, food rationing, relatives who don't care and childhood slowly dying out. Takahata's argument is that the real story of a war is what it costs civilians, and that cost is counted in children.
Where to see it: The firebombing of Kobe. You experience it entirely from the ground, as pure terror with no context or strategy.
Denis Villeneuve · 2009
Villeneuve follows 2 students, Valérie and Jean-François, through the attack and what comes after. Karine Vanasse, who plays Valérie, helped produce the film and spoke with victims' families while preparing. The approach keeps you with 2 people instead of the headlines.
Where to see it: Valérie playing dead. She and Stéphanie lie still while the gunman moves through the school, and Stéphanie later dies of her injuries.
Questions
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