A Long Look at A Bird Story-Chapter Two: Homely and Dull
Last time in this series(index here), we were introduced to our very young, very mischievous protagonist, Colin, as he recollected a seemingly ordinary school day via dreams. One where he daydreamed through class, got pranked on, and finally had to stand outside, mind. Of course, he simply used this opportunity to exit school early and head towards his home, passing through first a forest and then his apartment corridor. It is here that we pick back up the story.
Scene Description:
As he approaches his house’s front door, the creepy ambiance fades, and is replaced by a far more welcoming, soothing track. Inside, he walks into a neatly furnished, though momentarily dark and empty home. He turns on the lights, makes his way to the fridge, and reads the note stuck on its front. While it prominently flashes in his head, he barely recalls its contents.
He puts it aside, and playfully bounces off the bed in his parents’ bedroom for a while. Then, he heads to his room, deposits it at his side table, puts down his bag, and gets to studying…and immediately feels very hungry.
This is, for the most part, a rather straightforward depiction of his life. His playful, mischievous nature is further emphasized, if only in one tiny moment. Rather, the mundanity of his life is the highlight of this entire sequence, as will soon become clear.
Scene Description:
He takes his food out of the fridge, and moments later, eats it while watching TV. Whimsical sounds play, and he briefly laughs at what he’s watching. He returns to his studies, and the music shifts to a gloomy, melancholic tune. He reads his book for a while, but eventually tears out one of its pages, makes a paper plane out of it, and runs about in the drawing room. In his eagerness, he slips and falls. Fortunately, no serious injuries befell him, and, after quickly checking himself, he returns to his studies.
Here, the sequence cleverly uses music to convey a shift in tone, without actually changing much in terms of circumstance. His home was comforting at first, but stopped being so as he settled into his dull routine of study. The melancholy was so overpowering that even him playing energetically with his paper plane couldn’t get him over it.
Scene Description:
Back at his studies, Colin diligently writes in his book. Another tune kicks in, largely upholding the melancholy established by its predecessor. Noon turns to evening, and Colin gradually gets more tired. As he starts dropping his gaze, his room fades from view, until it’s completely black. Moments later, we hear some people enter, and see them drape him in a sheet. The sequence fades out after this.
The last part of this sequence solidifies both the mundanity of his existence, and his sheer loneliness. He spends most of the day at home in his studies, with none giving him company. His parents exist, but only as a distant presence providing material aid off screen - in fact, we never see them directly, not even here, where they come the closest to him.
Scene Description:
The next day, his alarm clock wakes him up. He quickly turns it off by hurling his pen at it. He gets up, very tired, and starts getting ready for the day, but then notices the sheet draped over him. He’s pleased by this, and the scene fades with it in focus. The very next scene, it gets unfolded in his parents’ bedroom, and the focus shifts to him freshening up in the bathroom. A considerably slower, duller version of the whimsical tune plays.
He gets to packing his stuff, starting with his book. Here, we notice what he was doing all this time - drawing himself flying with the paper plane. He packs it, picks up his bag, collects his food from the fridge, and reads a note put up on his front door. It warns about impending rainstorms, and advises him to carry the umbrella. He considers it for a moment, but in the end ignores it. He makes his way to the school through a short, uneventful journey. In fact, it barely occupies a corridor in his mind! At the classroom, he sits at his desk, and immediately dozes off.
This sequence does two important things; it shows that he’s thankful for the material support his parents provide, even if he rarely sees them in person. However, his routine is still dull, and he still gets exhausted from it. The other notable thing it does is showcase his imagination - even in such a dreary environment, his mind is occupied with nothing but flights of fantasy; so much so, that even his notebook is full of fanciful sketches.
Besides these, the sequence cleverly summarizes away a previously established journey by confining it to one tiny corridor, again efficiently using the framing device to depict unimportant events through visual shorthand. This corridor in particular will be seen again, in far different circumstances, and it takes a completely different feel at that moment.
Scene Description:
As the next scene fades in, we hear the sounds of rain. Shortly afterwards, a bell rings, and children are seen and heard leaving school. Colin begrudgingly opens his eyes, only to be greeted by his teacher standing in front, staring at him. He’s alarmed, but has little time to react, as she quickly kicks him out of the classroom!
Outside, Colin uneventfully makes his way down the corridor, as a somber tune kicks up. He soon reaches the playground, where it’s heavily raining. He looks around, and rushes outside to play in the rain! The tune fades, and a more enthusiastic portion of it plays, as he cheerfully jumps on his way back home.
This sequence shows a whole gamut of emotions playing out, as Colin first resignedly walks away from a class he didn’t participated in, before joyfully taking in the rain outside. It’s technically just an interlude between important moments, yet it’s quite expressive and effectively colors his life with bouts of joy, something that was arguably needed to liven the narrative after the dull stretch before.
Next time, Colin runs into a chance encounter, and perhaps welcomes someone new into his life. And that someone may even be the titular bird! See you all then!
Prev: Chapter One: One Tiny Rapscallion
Edit: Not continuing this, check here for why.
