The two rituals are completely contrasted with each other. In the 'traditional' funeral we see the mums family unhappy with how she is being presented, especially the dad. We are more inclined to take the family's side, as it is directed so the shots are mainly close ups of the families face, making us feel more in tune with them than the other people in the church. We also feel sorry for them at the end of the scene when they are booted out of their own mothers/wife's funeral. In this scene we support the families controversial ideologies that completely go against traditional ones. In the families ritual they take the mother's body and burn her on the edge of a cliff. While we are prompted by the film form and cinematography to side with this ritual more, through the use of bright colours, hazy shots, and a lack of conflict contrasting the last funeral. I still find it slightly weird that they dug up their own mum's grave, placed her on a bus, and burned her, then disposing of her ashes through a toilet. However this may be what the director intended for the audience to feel, as he is bringing to light our own traditional views, and is showing us how growing up in a regulated society has made us think. The difference in how the funerals are presented though all in all do make us believe that the nature views of the family are more important than traditional, as it gets us rooting for the family as they have got there own way. The event is presented as more meaningful through not only the use of brighter more vibrant colours, as a contrast to a dark church room, but also the use of more upbeat music to make us believe that this is the right thing to do for the family.
The film for me was very anti-climatic, as the expectations I had for the finale were very different to how it played out, being a calm ending, lacking the classical shoot out that westerns usually have. After Llewelyn's death, my focus shifted to Sheriff Ed, who I expected to step up and eventually kill Anton, capping off his police career as a hero despite being lazy throughout. However, this did not happen, instead a series of scenes took place where it seemed that a final fight was going to occur, however never did. This built up tension, teasing the audience with an action-packed ending but never delivering. The film left me with an empty feeling, like something was missing, which was the conflict between Ed and Anton. Even though I felt let down by the lack of action, I do appreciate the alternative ending that was explored, something that almost never happens in westerns. It makes me think more about what is happening in the film, rather than me just watching and not really...
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