Post #5: My Girl, 1991 Director Howard Zieff

My Girl is yet another must-see film. It was directed by Howard Zieff in 1991. The film is a heartbreaking story that stirs up tears. The main character in the film is an adolescent girl named Vada, played by Anna Chlumsky. She lives with her awkward widower of a father, played by Dan Aykroyd, who is a funeral director. They strangely live in the funeral home themselves. Other stars include: Macaulay Culkin, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Richard Masur. The story takes place in the 70s and the soundtrack coincides, playing all of the 60s and 70s classics.

Zieff captures the rustic and carefree lifestyle of the 70s. The lighting seems very dim throughout the entire film, even when outdoors, which makes the film seem dated also. The viewer experiences Vada's emotional ups and downs with her. So much is unraveled in just the short duration of the movie. We learn so much about each of the characters. The story is strange but very intriguing. The outcome is much unexpected and an intense tearjerker.

Zieff films in a kind of expected sense. He portrays life in the 70s as one knows it. He adds the drama of the characters lives to make it different. While watching the movie the only scene I ever noticed the angles and the style of the filming was the scene in which Vada's best friend Thomas J, played by Macaulay Culkin, gets swarmed by bees. The scene is shot with many cut backs to the bee hive and Thomas J. Eventually, we see him panic and the audience begins to worry. There is a particular shot of his eyeglasses falling to the ground in the woods, but in slow motion. It heightens the emotion of this scene. Without actually showing the viewer what happens next, it changes from the sound of buzzing bees to a doorbell. There is an extreme close up of only a doorbell and we are brought back to reality.

Zieff definitely depicts an emotional roller coaster for this young girl Vada. Throughout the film we watch her experience multiple life changing events. This drama definitely lives up to its theme. I don't know if I would be able to sit through it again, it was such a sad turn of events.