1. Female lead - Irene
- Age (as of current events): 27
- Interests: painting, journaling, taking pictures
- Relationship: single
- Occupation: unknown but is very stressful and the workload is drowning her
- Relevant social issues:
1) Depressive disorder
+ Depressive disorders, also known as clinical depression, are mental health conditions characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities.
+ According to a survey from the National Library of Medicine, depressive disorders are a significant health issue among industrial workers, resulting from work-related factors and causing serious burdens for the workers as well as their employers.
+ The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 3 million people in Vietnam suffer from depression, making it one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the country. Various factors contribute to the high prevalence of depressive disorders in Vietnam, including social and economic challenges, rapid urbanization, cultural stigma surrounding mental health, and limited access to mental healthcare services in certain areas.
+ The reason why I start the opening sequence with Irene facing the ocean is because she runs away from her busy city life to go back to her hometown. Constantly having to try harder than her colleagues to get the recognition that she deserves, Irene ends up feeling exhausted and burned out. The environment that she's currently working in, which is a normal office, portrays an environment where sexism and misogyny rule the workplace. Following Van Zoonen's theory of the male gaze, the portrayal of Irene is talented, but she is underestimated and is often forgotten by her boss, who is a male, and her opportunities are taken away by her colleagues, who are men. Though the film opening does not highlight this social issue, I think it would be a good idea to include it in the content research so that I could carry out this aspect if I have a chance to screenwrite more.
+ Secondly, Van Zoonen's theory of narrow ideals of beauty is seen in the character development of Irene. The reason for this choice of mine is to attract the audience since viewers are more pulled towards media products with the visually appealing main cast. I intentionally built Irene as a good-looking young woman and I'm aware that this choice follows the criticism of Van Zoonen, however, I do not wish to encourage such a stereotype that Stuart Hall warned against.
2) The struggles of being an introvert in an extrovert world
+ Irene was introduced as an introvert who doesn't talk much and is usually deep in her own thoughts. In today's world where extroverts are more biased and society is encouraging people to be outspoken, things are becoming harder for introverts.
+ Introverts are often misconceived as timid people, but that is not always the case. Introverts are people who enjoy their own company the most and could get quite exhausted from too many external interactions. Irene was built to suit this characteristic. My intention is to dig deeper into this growing issue and allow the audience to understand the tiring world through the eyes of an introvert.
Resources:
1. https://www.who.int/vietnam/health-topics/mental-health
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31083499/
2. Supporting lead - Delilah
- Age (as of current events): 27 (she was 16 in Irene's memories)
- Interests: listening to music, petting and feeding the stray cats, watching the rain
- Occupation: unknown
- Relevant social issue: unknown
+ In my opinion, one of the difficult things when portraying this character is that there is very little from her to execute. Her presence is built up completely through the female lead's memories and flashbacks, so I cannot give myself access to dig deeper into her private life. If I ever have the chance to screenwrite about her more, there will be more details coming from her point of view and her flashbacks, which can give the audience a clearer view of the big picture.
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