Character in "Romeo" and "Lisa"

In “My Name Is Lisa,” the opening scene reveals that the goal of Lisa’s character is to escape her responsibility. She clicks to start her video blog and to leave the world defined by the frame. This drives the plot. Later in the film, Lisa faces tension against the film’s antagonist, her mother’s dementia, when she is called to either be proactive or reactive. Lisa is pulled between trying to escape via her video blog and taking on the role of a mother. She is asked to switch from daughter to mother. It is much harder to get a grasp of her mother’s character because she suffers from (presumably) dementia and changes attitudes much in the film. Based on the opening shot, though, she seems to be a very caring mother, bringing Lisa lunch, very encouraging, saying “you tell ‘em” about Lisa’s blog, and maybe a bit protective.

In “Sometimes Romeo Is Sad,” the two main characters are Mike and Margot. Margot is fragile and quite sensitive to the point that she seems bitter. She frequently tells Mike what he “should” do and is very upfront about how she feels about his jail time and philosophy or lack there of. Her goal seems to be to get to know someone upfront and not have them “sneak up on her.” Mike, on the other hand, is more of a free spirit; gentle, cool (“wouldn’t look out of place on a motorcycle”) and comfortable (he very openly admits he was in jail and why). He has a dominating curiosity throughout the play. His maturing and free-spiritedness combats Margot’s need for control. But there is something seductive about Mike to Margot’s desperation. She feels both a need to protect him (“you shouldn’t do drugs”) and, by the end of the play, a desire for him as a lover.

Aristotle's Main Elements in "My Name Is Lisa"

In a mere seven minutes, the short film "My Name Is Lisa" demonstrates Aristotle's six main elements: plot, character, idea, spectacle, diction and music.

The plot of the “My Name is Lisa” is quite simple. Instead of employing an intensive narrative, the film plays more like a “slice of life” piece, with hardly a driving goal, but rather offering a glimpse of the life of its main character and how she will grow. The film is told possibly non-chronologically, using Lisa’s video blog as a sort of first-person narration. The narration intercut with events in her life surrounding her relationship with her mother serve to comment on her life and add insight into Lisa’s character.

Lisa changes throughout the three-act structure in her dealing with her mother. At first, when facing the difficulties and frustrations her mother provides, she seems to ignore her. Later, Lisa reacts angrily, shouting her frustrations at her mother. Finally, she finds a patient way to cope with the difficulties while still loving and engaging her.

The character of the mother is important to the idea/theme/premise of “My Name Is Lisa,” especially in the way she is revealed. The themes of the film involve look closer at your surroundings, observing their complexities, and finding a comic resolution. The mother seems at first to be a sort of comic relief character. Later, the audience gets more insight into her mental/psychological condition. Finally, we’re provided with the resolution that this is not an obstacle to joy, but a merely a finer detail in life.

I suppose the most lasting spectacle or impression the film achieves is an emotional one. The event involving the relationship between a mother and daughter is a very human one, filled with sadness, but surprised by joy.

Two aspects of the diction in the film stand out most for me. First is the repeated line “My Name Is Lisa.” The first time it is spoken, the character is proudly announcing it to the viewer of her video blog (and the film). The second time, it takes on completely different meaning; she is pleading to her mother and trying to make her remember who she is. The second interesting use is the presence of literature to comment on the action and themes of the film: the reading of “Huck Finn.”

And finally, the music in “My Name Is Lisa” guides the flow of the film. The film as a rhythm that keeps the pacing rather quick, but never frantic. The music is a very simple piano theme that repeats, as a sort of cue or motif, suggesting emotions portrayed in the pictures, but never forcing them. It really complements the film.