Jason Reitman's movie Juno (2007), tells the story of female protagonist Juno (Ellen Page), as she deals with her unplanned pregnancy at the age of 16. The film follows the young girl from the discovery of her pregnancy to the child's birth -- depicting the numerous challenges of teenage pregnancies along the way.
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| Diablo Cody |
One of the things that make this film so popular is the way it was written. Although it may not be apparent at first, Diablo Cody's script includes numerous aspects of Joseph Campbell's monomyth. For example, the first stage -- call to action -- is established within the first few minutes of the film when our protagonist receives her third positive pregnancy test that day. At this point, the "unknown" is must enter is being pregnant. Later, Juno crosses the first threshold by deciding to keep the baby instead of having an abortion. Similar Neo selecting the red pill instead of the blue, this is the decision that drives the rest of the story. In the end of the film, she goes through the master of two worlds stage when she delivers the baby. At this point she has overcome the challenges of her pregnancy, and in the process has improved her relationship with her friends and family. As you can see, the monomyth theory is not exclusively applicable to epic journeys or action-packed thrillers; even simple and realistic stories can use this structure.
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| First shot of the film |
Another interesting aspect of Reitman's film is the use of nondiegetic elements (things that can be see and/or heard, but do not exist in the world of the film). Throughout the movie, the filmmakers used a series of these elements to lend information to the viewers, and amplify certain emotions. Such elements appear in the first shot of the film. We see Juno standing in front of a house at dusk, when the word "Autumn" is generated in the top right corner of the shot. Although these first few seconds of the film raise many questions, the animation provides some information about the story's setting. This trend continues throughout the movie as time goes on in the film's world. With these visual words superimposed on the shot, the audience gets a sense of how much time has elapsed in the story and how far along Juno is in her pregnancy.
Another important nondiegetic element in this film is the music. Many scenes include songs that are not simulated by the film's world, yet play an influential role in the audiences understanding of the movie. For example, during Juno's delivery scene, the song "Anyone Else But You", by The Moldy Peaches, is edited over the sounds of the hospital room. Although this could be considered a stressful scene due to the pain and risks associated with childbirth, the song's happy melody calms the audience and reassures viewers that everything will be alright.
Overall, there is much more to this film than an interesting plot and funny dialogues. The structure of Juno's story can be studied through the view of the Hero's Journey, much like many other great stories. Also the use of nondiegetic elements play a subtle, yet important role in telling the story and helping to express emotions to the viewers.
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Juno. Dir. Jason Reitman. Prod. Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith and Mason Novick. By Diablo Cody. Pref. Ellen Page and Micheal Cera. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007.
Barsam, Richard Meran., and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies; An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2013. Print.
Erlewine, Stephen T. "AllMusic." AllMusic. N.p.,18 Jan. 2008. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keannu Reaves. Fox Studios, 1999. DVD.
Newman, Nick. "'Juno' Oscar Winner Diablo Cody Making Directional Debut With 'Lamb of God'" The Film Stage Juno Oscar Winner Diablo Cody Making Directional Debut With Lamb of God Comments. The Film Stage, 29 June 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"What Irene Did." Weblog post. http://www.wordpress.com/. Word Press, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Perf. Keannu Reaves. Fox Studios, 1999. DVD.
Newman, Nick. "'Juno' Oscar Winner Diablo Cody Making Directional Debut With 'Lamb of God'" The Film Stage Juno Oscar Winner Diablo Cody Making Directional Debut With Lamb of God Comments. The Film Stage, 29 June 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"What Irene Did." Weblog post. http://www.wordpress.com/. Word Press, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
