Juno Full Film Analysis

Plot:

Sixteen year-old Juno doesn't really care what others may think of her. She learns that she's pregnant from a one-time sexual encounter with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. Juno and Paulie like each other, but don't consider themselves to be exclusive boyfriend/girlfriend let alone be ready to be a family complete with child. Although she would rather not be pregnant, Juno is fairly pragmatic about her situation. Although there, Paulie really leaves all the decisions about the baby to Juno. Initially she decides that she will have an abortion, but that's something that she ultimately cannot go through with. So she decides to have the baby and give it up for adoption. But first she has to tell her father, Mac, and stepmother, Bren, that she is pregnant. Although they would have preferred if Juno was on hard drugs or expelled from school, Mac and Bren too are pragmatic about Juno's situation. The next step is to find prospective parents for the yet unborn child. In the Pennysaver ad section, Juno finds Mark and Vanessa Loring, a yuppie couple living in the suburbs. Juno likes the Lorings, and in some respects has found who looks to be a kindred spirit in Mark, with whom she shares a love of grunge music and horror films. Vanessa is a little more uptight and is the one in the relationship seemingly most eager to have a baby. On her own choosing, Juno enters into a closed rather than open adoption contract with the Lorings - meaning she will have no contact with the baby after she gives it up. During the second and third trimesters of Juno's pregnancy which she treats with care but detachment, Juno's relationships with her family, with Paulie, and with the Lorings develop, the latter whose on the surface perfect life masks some hidden problems.

Genre in the film is conveyed through four elements:

Camera:

• It includes lots of close-ups of characters' reactions to allow the audience to see their shock and the situation, these over-dramatic reactions emphasise the comedy genre.

• High angle shots are used to make the characters look vulnerable and weak, which helps to convey the drama of the genre, it reminds the audience that although Juno acts 'tough' she is actually very vulnrable.

• Longer shots are used to allow the audience to see the situation that the characters are in. This is different than in the trailer where there is more is cut out, to make the audience more intrigued.

Editing:

• The editing at the start of the film was at a slower pace which created a feel of equilibrium and therefore created a more dramatic effect when the disruption of the equilibrium occurred.

• Some quick cuts between characters created a 'confused' feel which could symbolise Juno's mindset and put the audience in her perspective - highlighting the drama genre.

• Eye-line matches were used to allow the audience to get a better understanding of what is going on and the relationship between characters. This resulted in some humorous shots - especially in shots where you can see the father and step-mother exchange looks.

Sound:

• Foley is used throughout to enhance prominent moments, for example the when Juno shakes her pregnancy test, as this makes them more engaging.

• Dramatic, fast-paced scores are used to build up positive moments - such as when Juno has a plan, or in comedic moments however, slower music is used when the dramatic element of the genre is being portrayed.

• They use of dialogue creates comedy due to the tone of voice. The step-mother and father often use a sarcastic tone, whilst Juno uses a 'fed-up' tone which is comedic next to Bleakers 'excited' tone of voice.

Mise-en-Scene

• Low-key lighting is used for when the sadder, more-dramatic element is shown, and high-key lighting is used for happy or comedic scenes. In both cases natural light is used to make the scenes seem more realistic and believable.

• Clothing is used to portray comedy, mainly through the character of Bleaker, who is nearly always wearing bright Red and Yellow gym clothes. This means he always stands out and his 'geeky' personality is strong portrayed.