Genre Research (Existential Drama)

 

    Good evening, in this post I'll be talking about the one of the ideas considered for the film intro that me and my project partner G will be creating, and the research of the genre that the intro will be embodying. The genre is drama, specifically Existential Drama This genre is characterized by its exploration of themes such as the meaning of life, the nature of existence, and the struggle to find purpose in a seemingly meaningless world. (RT Book Reviews, n.d.). Our story mainly revolves around the idea that someone with limited time to live is trying to document their time left alive to pass on those memories to their loved one. The story does need some additions but as of now that is the spine of the story. Though in order to capture the meaning of a Existential Drama, we needed to research films that define the Existential Drama genre. 

   One of the most recognized films that reflect powerful existential themes critical to the Existential Drama genre is "The Pianist" (2002). While it is a biographical film, The Pianist covers themes of Existential Drama in its true story, following the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman a renowned Polish-Jewish pianists during World War 2 and the mass persecution of Jews by Nazi Germany. Many of the exemplifications of the Existential Drama genre found within the movie cover, Radical Isolation, Szpilman spends much of his time alone in the movie. Survival Without Meaning, when Szpilman loses everything, he tries to survive without a true purpose his only motivation is purely instinctual. Through the progression of the movie Szpilman goes through many identities, from being a celebrated pianist, prisoner, fugitive, and a survivor. He has nothing attributed to him at that point and so begs the question, who are you when you have nothing? And finally, a Confrontation with death the psychological toll on an almost guaranteed death alters the brain chemistry of an individual, this is where our film opening connects with the pianist the most. 

    Using the elements found in "The Pianist" we are able to find the key defining elements of our film that allow us to evoke the emotions found in the audience of this film, in our film.