There is no doubt that the film Juno is a brilliant cinematic piece that follows the protagonist, Juno MacGuff, from when she discovers that she is pregnant to her choices and decisions after she decides to not have an abortion but give her baby up for adoption instead. When she searches for potential adoptive parents, Juno and her friend Leah come across an ad in the Pennysaver about Mark and Vanessa Loring, a couple who seemed happy, financially stable, and eager to have a child of their own. As expected, Juno's mind would probably be in chaos along with Mark, who expressed signs of not being ready to become a father, and his wife Vanessa, who was been waiting for this moment her entire life. In various scenes, the setting and diagetic elements of the film foreshadows the characters' inner mindset as Juno's pregnancy progresses.
Mark and Vanessa Loring are just one of the many characters that are greatly affected. From the moment we are introduced to Mark, the background and setting suggest his attitude towards life and becoming a father is not quite up to the expectations of his wife. They are presented as a couple who live in a wealthy neighborhood and lead proper, mature lifestyles. This is portrayed when Juno is first meeting Mark and Vanessa. In this scene, the camera shoots the extravagant houses that Juno and her father pass by in their old vehicle on their way to the couple's home. During this scene, the camera also shows clips of Vanessa tidying up her home, such as perfectly aligning the flowers in the vase, fixing the photo frames on the table, and spreading the magazines similar widths apart, which gives the audience the impression that Vanessa is quite the perfectionist and likes things her way. This can also be seen in the formatting of her home, which emanates wealth and class. However, the scene later brings us into Mark's room where he stores all of his musical belongings. Here, we are presented to a clutter of multiple musical instruments, posters, computers, albums, and a sound system, radiating the feeling of a teenagers' room, which contrasts greatly from the rest of the house. This room reflects Mark's own personality which is slightly immature, and artistic. This also represents Mark's incapability to fulfill Vanessa's expectations of him. Just like the contents of this room, Mark's mind is still dreaming of one day making it big as a rock star and stuck in the past.
The difference between Mark's room and the rest of the house also seems like an attempt to foreshadow the couple's divorce, which occurs towards the end of the film. The audience is exposed to their contrasting desires and how they want to take steps into different pathways in the future. Juno's pregnancy allows the couple themselves to also realize that they want different things from life. This realization is especially predominant within Mark, who initiates the divorce because he is now aware of how much he is not ready to become a father as the pregnancy progresses.
Mark and Vanessa Loring are just one of the many characters that are greatly affected. From the moment we are introduced to Mark, the background and setting suggest his attitude towards life and becoming a father is not quite up to the expectations of his wife. They are presented as a couple who live in a wealthy neighborhood and lead proper, mature lifestyles. This is portrayed when Juno is first meeting Mark and Vanessa. In this scene, the camera shoots the extravagant houses that Juno and her father pass by in their old vehicle on their way to the couple's home. During this scene, the camera also shows clips of Vanessa tidying up her home, such as perfectly aligning the flowers in the vase, fixing the photo frames on the table, and spreading the magazines similar widths apart, which gives the audience the impression that Vanessa is quite the perfectionist and likes things her way. This can also be seen in the formatting of her home, which emanates wealth and class. However, the scene later brings us into Mark's room where he stores all of his musical belongings. Here, we are presented to a clutter of multiple musical instruments, posters, computers, albums, and a sound system, radiating the feeling of a teenagers' room, which contrasts greatly from the rest of the house. This room reflects Mark's own personality which is slightly immature, and artistic. This also represents Mark's incapability to fulfill Vanessa's expectations of him. Just like the contents of this room, Mark's mind is still dreaming of one day making it big as a rock star and stuck in the past.
The difference between Mark's room and the rest of the house also seems like an attempt to foreshadow the couple's divorce, which occurs towards the end of the film. The audience is exposed to their contrasting desires and how they want to take steps into different pathways in the future. Juno's pregnancy allows the couple themselves to also realize that they want different things from life. This realization is especially predominant within Mark, who initiates the divorce because he is now aware of how much he is not ready to become a father as the pregnancy progresses.
Works Cited:
Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking At Movies. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 35-63. Print.
Cody, Diablo, writ. Juno. Dir. Reitman Jason. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007. Film. 13 Feb 2014.
Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking At Movies. 4th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 35-63. Print.
Cody, Diablo, writ. Juno. Dir. Reitman Jason. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007. Film. 13 Feb 2014.