At that point they cut to a tight reaction shot of Melinda's face as the word registers and her eyes look up at him in surprise. The camera is static as they discuss the project until just before Mr. Melinda is seated as they come into the frame from both sides. Freeman connecting with Melinda, the key scene is when he and Ivy are discussing her art project with the turkey bones and the palm tree. They wonderfully condense the process of Mr.
Watch how after receiving the art supplies Melinda is pleasantly stunned that her parents were actually aware that she was drawing, then quickly disappointed when they disconnect and start their own conversation about the stereo system, which brings on the flashback of them not being there when she returned home from the party. The adaptation shows Melinda's parents more positively but still portrays them as disinterested. The visuals of Melinda's emotional battles are more powerful than any narrative as are the visuals of her drawings and of the process of her growing stronger as the story progresses.
#Speek 2004 movie
In the case of "Speak", I think the movie is more powerful than the book as you feel Melinda's trauma more, even if you don't understand it as precisely. Adaptations are all about economy and efficiency as they try to tell the same essential story visually and often symbolically. But it also affords the opportunity to focus on understanding why the screenwriter, director, and editor choose to use, alter, or omit each element in the book. NOTES ON THE ADAPTATION: A personal visualization process occurs when reading a book that often makes its movie adaptation less powerful and less enjoyable. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. Virtually everyone should find this film engrossing, but it will especially appeal to those who like to see their heroines get stronger as a story progresses. The tree that inspired her painting helps tie everything together. No forgetting." Strong again she dumps Heather, plays a killer set of tennis, and bicycles to the scene of last summer's party where she confronts what happened to her and decides to tell Rachel. Melinda's rejuvenation happens during her impromptu hospital visit, her voice-over reflects this change: "It happened. Interestingly, the climatic scene actually occurs about 15 minutes before the ending. Like "Welcome to the Dollhouse", the adult roles are a bit extreme but the student roles are very convincing. One especially nice one is when Stewart is walking in the distance and the focus slowly changes to highlight a bee and a flower in the foreground.
Parekh complements his close work with interesting short focal transitions and some good exterior shots. Melinda's flat and distanced narration is often contradicted by the crushing emotional trauma she is experiencing on the screen, this dichotomy is a very effective way to illustrate her inner strength and multi-dimensionality.
I particularly liked Stewart's offhand voice-over on her way to the principal's office: "I forgot that the suffragettes were hauled off to jail, duh". Like the narration in "The Opposite of Sex" and "Girl" this helps relieve the intensity and introduces some wry humor into the story. Director Jesseca Sharzer gets an incredible non-verbal performance from Stewart which is nicely offset by the voice-over narration. Cinematographer Andrij Parekh gets maximum effect from the camera as the film is filled with tight shots of Stewart's face and eyes. Stewart's performance is critical to this film because she is not just the central character but also the narrator, the entire story is told from her point of view. Her understated performance as Melinda Sordino is absolutely riveting.
Although "Speak" was shot within a few months of "Catch That Kid" Stewart looks considerably older, with the Portman/Knightley connection even more obvious. Most people thought I was going a bit overboard but with her performance in "Speak" I feel even more confident of my assessment. In my review a year ago of "Catch That Kid", I referred to Kristen Stewart as a young Portman/Knightley.
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