Love, Rosie - Opening

FILM OPENING ANALYSIS

Love, Rosie. 

- 2014 - 

Introduction

Genre: Romantic comedy

Director: Christian Ditter

Distributed by: Lionsgate (United Kingdom) and Constantin Film (Germany)

Original: Novel by Cecilia Ahern named "Where Rainbows End".

Source of pictures: Pinterest

    The story surrounds two best friends who became inseparable at the age of 5, together dealing with the highs and lows of growing up side by side. After one missed opportunity, their lives continuously turned opposite ways, and whenever they would find their way back to one another it would always be as friends. "Will they ever be coming something more" is the big catch of the movie.

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Source: https://cineb.rs/watch-movie/watch-love-rosie-free-18678.5299228

No establishing shots were provided for context, instead, the audience is expected to decode the ongoing setting. A voice-over guided the audience through Rosie's thought process as she was "spaced out", her eyes not depicting much emotion and her body almost completely still, not interacting with the environment. Muffled sounds of conversations happening behind a louder volume of the main soundtrack encode an event that involves many people. Moreover, dishes and utensils clanking against each other were also heard, signifying that meals were being provided at the event. Rosie's outfit doesn't look casual, instead, it is a dress made for more formal occasions. By adding sheer fabric as sleeves, the elegance of the look was greatly elevated. 

A centerpiece was displayed in front of Rosie as a bundle of flowers, often associated with weddings. From here it becomes more transparent to the viewer of “where” the scene is taking place. Despite being in a ceremonial ambiance, Rosie looks out-of-place and not enjoying herself, along with a zoom out to gradually show more of the background, as if to make her slowly look smaller, encoding distance from the crowds of people. Other guests were seen to be moving across the camera at a quick pace, further highlighting Rosie’s quietness in a boisterous atmosphere.

(⬅️example of wedding centerpiece; source: https://www.marthastewart.com/7912915/classic-wedding-centerpieces)

The voice-over matches Rosie’s action as it states, “Take a deep breath”, and a cutaway appears along with, "Start at the beginning".  Two little kids, a boy, and a girl, were introduced, befriending each other at a playground as we hear Rosie’s voice stating, “Tell them how we first met”. From that, we may decode that this was the first interaction between her and another character. A straight cut led to a classroom full of messy, but colorful drawings hanging by the walls, illustrating rainbows, animals, and flowers, encodes a kindergarten or primary school. This setting connotes a sense of childhood and nostalgia, along with the innocence of the children having fun exchanging notes and expressing joy. Lighting was set brightly, mimicking real sunlight peeking through the classroom’s window, as if reflecting their naive and sincere souls. Rosie and Alex as little kids also gave a very cute, charming impression of the film.

More information: Sunlight can trigger a sense of longing due to its association with many good memories and happiness. It is also known to positively affect our mood.

  

 The scene cuts to the two of them standing by a huge globe, pointing to presumably where they want to travel to in the future, as we hear "Tell them ever since we shared our dreams". This hints at the intimacy between the two characters since they were kids, to trust one another and convey their thoughts and wishes to each other. L-cut was used to maintain continuity as another scene appeared, showing a cassette as a prop, indicating an older time since cassettes are now considered "out-of-date". Rosie, and who we now know as Alex through the voice-over, were lying next to each other. This connotes how comfortable they are with the other person. The lasting friendship between Alex and Rosie was also encoded through their slightly older appearance depicted in the shot, indicating some time had passed. A straight cut to a "hotel" made out of blankets and pillows where the boy and girl were seen laying next to each other, sharing their dreams, "Even Alex's weirdest ones", Rosie mentioned. The closeness between Alex and Rosie is also shown through the physical movement of holding hands. This could potentially lead the viewers to think there is a romantic connection between the two, as the genre is said to be romance. Overall, the cutaway gave a nostalgic impression and also gave us an insight into the narrative of "friends to lovers".

 
 During the cutaway, writings appeared on the left corner of the screen to visually give deeper meaning to the content provided by Rosie. This detail could also mean that the certain context that was being talked about may be relevant later in the movie, and so the writings appeared as a way to draw the attention of the audience and make them save that idea for later. The words were seen as if they were being hand-written down during the sequence (like writing a letter) in a somewhat messy style, which increases the personal feeling of the scribbles. All were in capital letters, highlighting the importance of remembering this detail.

A constant background musical track was gradually building up in the background. "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" by Donnie Warwick. The title and lyrics can hint at a sad emotion as a result of falling in love, which can give us clues about the narrative of Rosie's love life.

   The scene cuts back to her original position, ending the cutaway. Enhanced sound of the glass being tapped by a knife, making a clinking noise was used to get the attention of the other wedding guests, a signal for all to settle down and get ready for a toast. As Rosie was speaking, an eyeline-match cut drew the attention to Alex who was sitting in front, expressing joy and excitement. He was dressed in a nice navy suit, with flowers attached to the pocket on the chest, indicating him as the groom. Rosie's voice trembling as if she was on the verge of tears, showing nervousness and agitation. As she pointed out "This has got to be one of the happiest days of my life", an abrupt cut immediately followed as a close-up of Rosie appeared, sobbing hard while on a moving vehicle, connoting that she was lying about her feelings, raising enigma code as to why she would lie, or why was she feeling such way? This also gave a sense of laughter by providing a contrast in emotions, or juxtaposition. Wedding bells were heard in the distance, signaling a marriage between two people, however, since Rosie was "hiding", it can be concluded that she was not the bride. The opening ended right after as a cliffhanger, encouraging viewers to continue watching.