‘Looking for Alibrandi’

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Looking for Alibrandi

• SYMBOLISM

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Colour

• The use of colour in Looking for Alibrandi can
  be seen as symbolic. Josies family life
  revolves around the colour red. This colour is
  representative of her Italian heritage. Nonnas
  house is a shade of magnolia red, and throughout
  Christinas house there are pinks and reds.

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• The three Alibrandi women frequently weaer red as
  a part of their costuming. The colour red
  reflects not only the Italian culture, but also
  the warmth and comfort (at times!) of Josies
  family life.
• In comparison, St Marthas is depicted using cool
  cold colours, primarily blue. With the red
  having depicted the warmth of Josies family life
  and heritage, the opposite of that is the school
  world. The halls are carpeted in different
  shades of blue/green, and there are stark ivory
  coloured walls. Josies school uniform is teal
  blue.

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• Colour is important in this film because it very
  clearly symbolises central ideas. As the colour
  changes depending on setting, the audience feels
  a very definite shift from the cool privilege of
  the Eastern suburbs and the warmth of the Western
  suburbs. The colours used symbolise the clash
  between the two cultures, highlighting cultural
  differences. They are also representative of
  Josie feeling as though she is trapped between
  two different worlds, and not feeling entirely
  accepted by either one.

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Heart cartoon representations

• These are shown right at the beginning as credits
  roll. The heart cartoons symbolise teenage angst
  when it comes to love. The many different
  cartoon focus around a heart, and in some ways
  pre-empt the plot of the film. Josie is forced
  to make many emotional decisions, and the idea of
  love, or loss of love, is portrayed strongly
  throughout.

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• Because these heart symbols are represented in
  the form of cartoons, they also symbolise the
  teenage genre that the film focuses on. The film
  targets a teenage audience, choosing to tell a
  story from a teenagers perspective. The cartoon
  hearts are symbolic of this.

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Plane flying overhead

• The plane is a symbol that recurs throughout the
  film. It is especially focussed on in the
  beginning and ending scenes. The plane could be
  symbolic for a number of reasons

• New beginnings and endings
• Past
• New discoveries
• Immigration/belonging
• Arriving/leaving

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• The plane could be seen as symbolic of Josie
  arriving at her destination. In the film this
  destination is the discovery of herself and her
  identity. It is also representative of her
  Italian heritage and past (showing immigration.

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Well thats what I think anywayAdd to these
ideas with your own thoughts.