"Pockets" Analysis

Pockets from Pilgrim Films on Vimeo.

"Pockets" is a thought provoking short documentary, revealing aspects of peoples' identity through the objects they hold within their pockets. The short piece shows a wide variety of different people, with short stories and brief descriptions of the objects they hold in their hands. For example; the second character we see is a woman showing the camera a crack-pipe, and revealing that this, a long with the money and cigarettes in her pockets, are things that she uses everyday. At first impression, we jump to the conclusion that she is a relentless crack-addict, but then the camera cuts to a shot of her face, and we see the regret and self-dissaproval she has within herself, creating a sort of sympathy with the obviously troubled character. Some interviewees are a lot more innocent in their stories, the young boy we see for example; in his pockets he holds a spider keyring made by his mother, attached to a key which he tells us 'opens nothing'. From this, I see an expression of childhood innocence and curiosity, as well as the love and fondness of the sentimental objects we choose to keep on our person, as is a common theme throughout the documentary. 
In a way, it almost seems to me to be a personal and confessional piece; their is no intervention from an interviewer asking questions, it allows people to tell the stories behind these objects in their own words and through their facial expressions. It allows you to see each person as an individual, not just the random people you see on the street everyday. I think it is very effective in generating an emotional response within the viewer; with some of that characters, I felt sympathy and sadness for their struggles and losses. With others, the children in particular, it causes you to think back and relate to the innocence of childhood, or particular fond memories from your own past. 
In terms of the filming techniques, I think the fact that their is no interviewer featured in neither the sound or in the frame makes it a very personal piece, and to feature such would be unnecessary and would change the overall feel of the film. I also really liked the combination of close-up shots of the hands, coupled with the reactions and facial expressions of the characters; very simple, yet very effective filming techniques. The documentary is extremely stylised and uses well composed static shots of the subjects smiling with their voices cut over the top, this gives the impression that it is the subjects inner thoughts rather than a staged interview, a lot of thought has been put into achieving a certain aesthetic, using pull focus and strange angles that cut out part of the subjects face. The observational style makes this documentary look carefree and effortless, these are elements that i would like to incorporate into my own documentary.