Big Fish (2003)

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Ewan Mcgregor, Deny Devitto, Jessica Lange
Plot: Will Bloom (Mcgregor) returns to his family home
in Alabama having spent the past three years not talking to his father Edward (Finney). Dying, Edward recounts his life story in his own unique, exaggerated way, full of fantastic events (portrayed in these flashbacks by McGregor). Will tries to get to know his father and find the truth, discovering that his father did lead an extraordinary life and that his storytelling was his finest achievement.

The film was initially planned to be directed by Steven Spilberg before Burton took on the project, following the death of his own father. The film was mostly shot in Alabama, and had a much less gothic tone than Burton's other films such as Edward Siscorhands and Sleepy hollow.

Many critics hailed the film as Burton's masterpiece, and it received four Golden Globe nominations and one Oscar nomination for Danny Elfman's original score.

I chose to right about this film because in my opinion it is a brilliant feature film, and as in animation it breaks certain cinematic conventions. Tim Burton managed to transpass his typical style by making it lively and "colourfull" but still keep his authenticity which can be perceived by the high quality of direction in the film.

I love it particularly because of its imaginative factor, its like a key that opens curiosity gates in the viewer's imagination, that for me had only been opened this way before whilst watching animation films. The viewer hungers for the next scene, in my case dying of curiosity for what Tim Burton has prepared on the next shot. The film has a fantasiotic atmosphere both in visual and metaphorical ways, where surrealism is used as simbolism, a perfect match between reality and a dream world, challenging one's imagination to decide if the facts shown are real or made up by the character of Edward (the storyteller). I also think this film relates immensely to this module because it has a very linear way of storytelling: the narrator speaks, and Ewan Mcgregor's character visualizes, therefore exemplifying how a simple but effective way of telling a story can be achieved.

Deny Devitto is in my opinion in one of the best performances he's ever done, making the hairs of my neck stand up at points.