Film Analysis

Analysis of the Film ‘Do Not Split’ Student Name Institution Professor Name Course Date Analysis of the Film ‘Do Not Split’ Film Description, Content, and Style “Do Not Split” is an impactful documentary short film that depicts the emotional pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong in 2019-2020. The film can be considered a perfect reflection of my planned documentary “Hong Kong after COVID-19” in terms of the topic, the manner of shooting, and the way of presenting the material. The movie is based on a critical period in the history of Hong Kong, specifically the protest against the extradition bill that would enable Hong Kong to surrender criminal suspects to mainland China. This event was vital as it was seen as a threat to the ‘one country, two systems’ principle that was supposed to be in force until 2047. In terms of style, “Do Not Split” is a gritty, fly-on-the-wall documentary. The protesters are filmed with handheld cameras, which makes the audience feel the intensity of the protest actions (Sondhi, 2021). This technique gives a feeling of reality and topicality that is suitable for the further concept of “Hong Kong after COVID-19”. The film combines the actual protest scenes with interviews of the protesters, which gives both the big picture and the details. This dual perspective enables the viewers to grasp the magnitude of the protests as well as the individual reasons for participating in them. Likewise, my planned documentary will provide an economic and social context of post-COVID Hong Kong while telling individual stories. Another aspect of “Do Not Split” that is quite evident is the increasing brutality and hostility of the police forces towards the demonstrators. The film does not spare the viewer graphic scenes of the battles, which is entirely appropriate because it emphasizes the fact that the confrontation is severe and people are ready to fight for their rights (Sondhi, 2021). The fact that the documentary is based on the opinions of the Hong Kong people corresponds to my plan to talk to the locals about their lives after COVID-19 and their dreams. This approach makes the political and social pr...