Member-only story
The Street: Film Review
The Street written, directed, and produced by Carl Grune is one of the strangest movies I have seen from plot to script dialogue, creativity, and narrative storytelling. The Street contains two different plots that will later intersect in the film giving the film a unique narrative approach that could be confusing until the story comes together.
But, along with this none of the characters were given names and only were referenced to. In the film the two different plots are a man who is briefly trying to get out the house and is on a treacherous street, and an old man, a boy, and the old man’s grandson. The man who is wandering from home encounters a street that is dangerous. As he walks through, he encounters all kinds of criminal and suspicious activity but there is also something supernatural going on as well. The street itself is alive as the man is on the street and he suddenly turns around, lights turn on and begin to blink to personify that the streets have eyes too. I was intrigued by this because in cinematic storytelling the moving images tell the story and by using objects, figures, and tools as a strategy to deepen the context of a story is innovative. It also makes the audience pay more attention to details, backgrounds, and symbolism throughout the film.
The cinematography and actions in this film is fast-paced and there are a lot of interactions going on from people just walking, traffic jams, parties, and just living. Understanding that these films are not as complex as the others, the creativity had to be within the film unlike today’s movies as people would not understand the concept of movies without the help of other sources. Grune used the street to interpret that this street is so lively that the street has become alive with it.
In a deeper sense saying there is always something going on, someone is watching, and something is bound to happen regardless of who and where you are. This shows us how art is supposed to express a conscious message of relevance for an audience to give them or change their perspective. In doing so it gives art a divine meaning as opposed to just entertainment and gives the audience more of an experience. Through Grune using a unique narrative two plot connecting story, personifications, and irregular filmmaking methods it shows a message of using the entire world to tell a story.
