Scene Analysis

A particular scene that I want to draw attention to is during the end of the first part of the film. During the first part of the film, Bill appears to suffer from a seizure and is taken into a hospital where his doctor concluded that he was going to die. After a couple of days, Bill has a rebound in his health and his doctor changes his mind and says that he isn’t going to die. This is one of the first instances where we begin to see more than just black and white drawings as aesthetics in the film. The very last scene consists of Bill going to a bus stop on his way to work a couple days after he leaves the hospital. When he goes to the bus stop, it is pouring rain and for the first time in the film we are able to see color and real pictures. The rain shown are actual droplets falling on the ground.  However, what really completes the scene is the music. A symphony of violins with ranging volume going up and down, combined with a view of Bill in his seat on the bus looking around at the rain is the first context clue we have into the theme of the film, and is one of the first scenes that taps into raw emotion which impacts the viewer.

The important thing to understand for someone who hasn’t seen the film is the first sight of a real scene after nearly watching for half an hour is monumental. Black and white stick figure pictures and out of context scenes will perplex the viewer at first, but after a couple of minutes it makes the film interesting enough to be glued onto for the full hour and a half. In regard to the emotion felt in the last scene, it can only be described as subtle sadness and existential despair. While all of these emotions are brought up during the actual scene of rain at the bus, the foundation of these emotions are built up right after the doctor concludes that Bill is not dying. Once Bill’s mother and his uncle find out about this news, they seem annoyed. The narrator explains they go through the task of having to return the casket that they pre-bought for Bill, and his mother also goes into his hospital room and takes away the flowers.This, along with the last scene, make you almost feel bad for Bill. It seems his mother and uncle just wanted him to die so that they wouldn’t have to care for him and his mental state any longer.