Brick

The first film noir we watched in our lesson was the film Brick. Brick was made in 2005 and is 110 minutes long. This film is actually more of a neo noir as it is in colour and set in more of a modern period. It is set in a high school and the surronding areas in america based around a group of teenagers. The basis of the story fits around a ringing phone from a phonebox which is how the film begins. There is a few major characters including Brendan, Emily, Laura, The Brain and Raven. Brendan is seen as a very lonely character with his main friend being The Brain although he doesn't really stick by him. The film shows some classic conventions including in some scenes the single source lighting, dim and dark or candlelit. The way the music changes with characters and moods of the film and in one scene one of the main girls is wearing red like the femme fatale would. There is also a symbol that occurs many times in the film which is like the shape of a rounded capital A, this is where some of the main characters die and using the symbol adds a curiosity and mystery to the film.

The film contains fight scenes and drug/death related topics. It has troubling scenes of the main character Brendan trying to work out the death of his ex girlfriend. The story can get fairly complicated and if watched twice would be easier to understand. Although it is interesting to watch and intrigues the viewer to want to find out what happens next. The characters are quite captivating and make the story more interesting.