essay

The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 film directed by George Nolfi.  In the scene that I am writing about, Nolfi uses three techniques that I will be writing about. He uses sound, lighting and dialogue to portray the idea of fate throughout the film, and in this scene it is no different. The two main characters are being chased by the Adjustment officers up a building, then after realising they will not be able to escape their last dramatic kiss moves the Chairman and they are aloud to stay together and are also able to keep their free will as the plan before their kiss said that they were not supposed to be together. Their choices being controlled by a higher power is the big idea that Nolfi is expressing to us. Fate. What he means is that that you do not have full control over your life, that there is a higher power there that controls what happens.     

In this scene the sound is probably the most important part. The sound gives us different feelings whilst watching movies and this is the same. The music in this scene seemed to have copied exactly how the characters were feeling. For example, when they thought they could get away from the Adjustment Officer’s and they were running away the music was very fast paced and loud because they were escaping. Once they got to the highest possible point in the building the sound stops completely, all of it except for their breathing. When the fast paced music was on they still had a chance but when it stopped was when they realised they were going to get caught. The Adjustment Officer’s came through the door, and loud drums started to bang away, it was a ceremony for their capture. These drums were representing their heart beat, going very fast and then stopping. They were nervous and scared and they knew they would not escape. After their kiss and when the Adjustment Officer’s changed their minds the sounds become cheerful again as they had gotten the happy news. The music was timed perfectly, like what happened was supposed to happen at those specific times. The plan was perfect and that was how it was supposed to be. This reflects the idea that Nolfi was exploring by fate being controlled by a higher power.

Dialogue ties in with the music as well. The words that are said all portray the idea of fate if you dig deep enough. Without the dialogue the music would mean nothing. The first words spoken in this scene was when David and Eileese, the main characters, both said “I love you” right before they shared their kiss. Right after those words and their kiss the Adjustment Officer’s disappeared. It was those words that inspired the Chairman and because of this, the Chairman being a higher power changed his mind. One of the higher ranked Officers called Thompson came to them right  after. He was not aware of the new plan and he said “did you really think that you could get to the chairman,” this made them feel small compared to him, like he had more power, which he did. Next another of the higher Adjustment Officer’s came and told them what happened. They way he spoke was intelligent but not so much that it was easy to tell. It wasn’t the type of language that is normally spoken at the present time. This indicated that he had been around a lot longer than some humans that are alive today, although he looked quite young. In the last section of this scene, the same Adjustment Officer’s voice was speaking. He could not be seen so this indicates that he is a higher power. He also said that maybe humans will be able to make their own decisions one day which is showing that the Adjustment Officers have control over what we do.  

Lighting is also very important in this scene. The lighting in a movie really creates the feeling of the scene. This scene is much the same. At the start when they get out onto the sky deck the clouds look very stormy and dark. These clouds seem to be copying the feelings of David and Eileese. There inevitable capture made them scared and they were thinking dark thoughts. Then they thought they might be able to be set free when it was just the higher ranking Adjustment Officer talking to them. During this time there was sunlight poking through the clouds, they were feeling hope. Then finally there was blue sky.  The clouds were gone once they were back on the street. They knew that the adjustment officer’s would not bother them again. They were free to live their lives in peace without people telling them what they could or could not do. The clouds may have been put in place by the chairman so that they would feel exactly what they did.

The Adjustment Bureau, directed by George Nolfi, is a gripping and intriguing movie. The sound, dialogue and lighting all help us understand the idea of fate in this movie. All three portrayed fate in different ways. The music that was played was like we were listening to their emotions, the little pause when they came out of the door to the balcony was the main part about fate in the scene, it showed that they had realised that they were going to get caught, the fast music stopped because of this.  When Thompson told them they could never reach the chairman, they knew that he was much more powerful than they were, again a higher power. Lastly, the sun finally came out once they were free. The concept of there being a higher was portrayed throughout the film. If there was not this higher power then the film would be a lot different and it is important for us as the watchers to understand it because it is the main theme in this film. The Adjustment Bureau is a great film and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested.