THE FRAGMENTED















A Film Material

I wanted to make a story of an event which is separated by rooms and borders. Each section is enriched with elements, representing the moods, actions and characters that ends with a dramatic twist. The final scene is not concluded but provocative that leaves the audience to imagine their own ending.

Idea based on:
The Execution of Maximilian
NG 3294
1867-8 / Edouard Manet
Highlight : Time based, mutilated fragment in juxtaposition montages, enrich the visual and sound to enhance emotion

I was moved by ‘The Execution of Maximilian’ Edouard Manet. The following describes the elements of my concentration:

I. Colour palettes
The tones that Manet had establish for this painting was subtle, non-dramatic but tragic. The color palette and strokes, pitched to provide the focus and attention solely on the subject matter without stealing any of its limelight. I like the somber tones on the painting, it is moody, lonely and quiet similar to the concept that I applied to my film. Instead of grayish-bluish colours, I used white and beige to achieve the same results. My film required a lot of emotions which did not only come from the actors’ performance alone rather the tones projected from the ambience have given it an uplift to achieve the moods required.

II. Composition
The theme has taken over the composition. It doesn’t require stressing the dynamic or dramatic composing. Manet wanted to express a realistic approach of realism in capturing a tragic moment like this. This is a brilliant approach as Manet used composition subtly by placing the character with a virtual space representing the character’s expression of thought and situation. The ’post effect’ of physically being separated into pieces enhanced and carried the intended separated room to a new dimension.

III. Style
This is realism, as in the story of my film, a situation that can happen anywhere and to anyone. As Manet tried to achieve in the painting, I have tried the same to maintain the sincerity throughout the movie by not pushing the story over the top or staging it too dramatically, instead letting it flow naturally. I have applied long takes to capture the emotions on screen to give the audience the first hand experience; uncut and uncensored.

IV. Theme
I concentrated on the element of ‘post effect’. I am more interested on the implication of the missing element; (the life, the power that was put away such as the pieces of the painting that were missing our cut out from the original painting) why did this happened?, what is the appreciation when did the newer composed images were put together? Would it depreciate its esthetic value or would it give new meaning and bring a whole new perspective to the painting? As with my film I tried to study the post effect of a situation (separation) with its implication and the ripples caused by the conclusion.

V. Story
I took the concept of execution, punishment, solace, perpetrator, villain, victim, hero and separation which I found in the painting and incorporated to the film by asking the same question to the audience to figure out who’s who based on the characters in the movie. (Maximilian, Napoleon III, The Firing Squad and one of the soldier who in the position of checking his gun against the characters of father, daughter, mother and the lover)

VI. Subject Matter
I liked the way the characters were staged in a space that enhanced their profiles. Character placement was thoughtfully considered and the fragments somehow (from my point of view) gave a visual separation that heightens the interest in the composition. I tried to achieve this in my film by placing my characters in their own individual room to suggest profile, moods and emotions. I even cropped out a character’s face (mother) to hide her disappointment, memories and her doubt in reflecting the decision that she had made.

This is a conceptual drama capturing the life of a broken home. It all happens on the day when the husband and wife’s divorce is final. This is an inner-emotion study on the Man as a husband and father. The Woman as a wife, mother and lover. The daughter who is wedged in the middle and the lover as a solace or perpetrator.

This story is told in a series of chronological events that are separated by rooms and borders visually and conceptually to represent the character’s relationship in real life. Each sections are enriched with elements, representing the moods, actions and characters that ends with a dramatic twist. The final scene is inconclusive but provocative and left to the audience to imagine their own ending.


A simple subject matter with a lot of weight, dragging a simple family story to become emotionally complicated.


Film references and Influences:

I. Andrei Arsenevich Tarkovsky - The Mirror (1974) I am interested on how he played with the theme of home and family, and how it was beautifully orchestrated

II. Sofia Coppola - The Virgin Suicide (1999) I was amazed by the visual stylization and the emotion of being delicate, naive and innocent

III. Mike Leigh - Vera Drake (2005) In this film, a soft character ‘Mother’ was the evil one resulted by her principal and the decisions she made.


The reference for music scores

This film was created with minimal dialogue and I wanted to enhanced the use of emotion supported by the use of sound and music. The following are the research and requirements for this film:

Music reference and inspiration
Al’Iktiroof / Haddad Alwi (philharmonic, Indonesia)
Beloved One / Ben Harper
In My Life Today / Lenny Kravitz
The Promise-extended / Tracy Chapman
Father and Son / Ronan Keating featuring Cat Steven