Genre: Slice-of-life

Director: Jennie Nguyen

Producer: Jennie Nguyen

Distributed by: Jennatale Media Productions

Synopsis: The story follows a 27-year-old girl, weary of the big, busy world, who fled the city to find herself in her hometown. On the way back, she unintentionally gathered the last few memories of her ex-best friend, who had vanished over ten years earlier.

As she searched for her ex-best friend, she gathered thoughts about her existence and a way out of her sad, miserable life.

Analysis: 

The film opening starts off with the title ident of the production company, Jennatale Media Productions.

As the scene fades in, it is easily observed that a young woman is standing hand-crossed beside the fences, filmed by a static medium shot with only half of her face shown. Diegetic sounds of the surroundings, including the vehicles and the noisy construction sounds convey a sense of chaos and distraction. The character reaches into her bag to look for something, which is later on revealed to be a pack of cigarettes. Following Barthe's theory, this could connote that the

character is dealing with some sort of stress and anxiety since cigarettes are consumed as a tranquiliser. However, the very next act of the character goes against Hall's theory of stereotype, as she puts the pack back into her bag instead of smoking one. This detail could be dissected to that she is fighting back the urge to smoke as a way to end this bad habit, or could be that she runs out of cigarettes.

The scene cuts to the introduction of the director - Jennie Nguyen - written in a simple, serif font in white with a black background. Opting for a minimalist and uncluttered design in the title ident and credits can emphasize the understated beauty, simplicity, and emotional

resonance of the slice-of-life genre. Clean lines, spacious layouts, and subtle details in the typography design can convey a sense of purity, clarity, and emotional honesty in the storytelling.

The back of the character is filmed using another static medium shot while she reaches for her phone in her pocket, along with the diegetic sound of a phone ringtone. An over-the-shoulder close-up shot captures the caller whose name is saved as "Boss", thus the audience can slightly understand that the reason for the phone call is work-related. At this point, the audience can connect the dots and realise that the outfit that the character has on is very similar to the stereotyped outfit of an office worker - a cardigan, a pair of trousers, and a pair of shoes. With all that in mind, the sequence reveals a social issue that is common among people of working age - stress and anxiety. 

Another title ident of the producer, who is also Jennie Nguyen - appears in between the shots. The character then turns off her phone, which connotes that there might be some conflicts or misunderstanding between her and her boss, or because she is stressing about her workplace. This is concluded based on Barthe's theory of connotation. Up until now, there are no details about the character for the audience to make assumptions about instead of her work-related issues, which is popular among young adults nowadays as the market is becoming more competitive and they must try their best every day to maintain their positions. 

The scene switches to an over-the-shoulder medium close-up shot of the character as she opens a house door, along with a diegetic sound of a squeaky metal door being opened, illustrating that this door - or even this house - is old and not well-maintained. 

The following close-up shot from foot level reveals the character walking into the house while carrying a suitcase, which could be assumed that she is moving into the house, the reason unknown. 

 

A tracking shot is used to capture the character walking into the front yard, looking around with a mixed expression on her face. She is clearly not happy or sad, hence the audience cannot predict or assume anything about the character. The diegetic sounds add up to the richness and depth of the scene without any

narrative. Incorporating ambient sounds from the characters' surroundings, such as the rustling of leaves, distant traffic noises, or chirping birds, can create a sense of realism and intimacy that is characteristic of slice-of-life storytelling. 

A short static shot capturing photos hanging on a wall conveys a switch in location and illustrates that this might be the character's childhood home, as photos of children and family members could be seen. 

The sequence then cuts to a wide shot, almost acts as an establishing shot of the character holding a carton box as she sits down on the bed. The audience could now observe her background - a bedroom filled with teddy bears, comics, and photos hanging on the walls. This confirms that the room belongs to the character and this is her childhood home. 

The camera zooms in as she wipes off the dust and takes off the lid, connoting that this box has been here for a while and no one has touched it since then. The zoom-in technique, though it is a bit wonky, helps bring in a sense of realism and unfiltered, allowing viewers to observe the characters' lives unfold naturally, without imposing a sense of artificiality or manipulation.

The camera switches to a low-angle close-up shot as she opens the box with a smooth transition with only half of her face shown. The repeated use of not showing the character's full face contributes a lot to keeping her expressions and emotions a mystery, raising enigmatic questions about this character. She picks up a collection of letters.

The close-up of the letters reveals that these are letters from someone named Irene to "Delilah". It is assumed that since the character has the letters and they all have the "Receiver rejected" on top, the character is Irene. This detail also connotes that Irene's relationship with "Delilah" had some issues and they lost connection. 

After staying still for a while, Irene puts down the letters and picks up some photos, filmed by another medium shot with only half of her face shown. Then, a switch to an over-the-shoulder shot captures a picture of two girls, one of whom is Irene. The audience can assume that the other girl is Delilah based on the previous mentions. As she flips through the photos, suddenly she drops a few ones. By the time she picks them up, more photos of the two girls are shown, signifying that they were close friends and had quite a bonded relationship. The image of Irene being alone in her childhood room looking at the photos of her and her best friend also connotes a sense of sadness and nostalgia.

As she flips through the photos, the camera zooms into the photo of someone holding a yellow umbrella. A non-diegetic sound of a soft, understated melodic song playing on the piano is heard, evoking a sense of introspection, nostalgia, and emotional depth that resonates with the genre. Irene turns to the back of the photo, and within a glimpse of it, there are a few words written on the back.

The camera switches to an extreme close-up shot of Irene's eyes, which is quite rare given that from the beginning we can barely see her face. This moment opens a new stage of the opening sequence as the audience is now allowed to step into Irene's inner world filled with thoughts, emotions, and connections. Judged by the look she gives off in her eyes, we can tell that her emotions go from confused to surprised, and by far this is the first time we've ever seen her changes in expression. 

Almost immediately, she stands up and runs towards the door, dropping the photos on her way out. The director's choice of filming the front door and Irene's reflection in the corner of the mirror adds a touch to the aesthetic and artistic aspect of the film. Again, her face is cut out of the frame but now the audience can make assumptions about her feelings based on the previous scene and her action.

A close-up shot of the photos being dropped to the floor reveals the words written on the back of the umbrella photo: "... and her favourite umbrella. _Middle of August, 2009_". Based on previous images and their connotations, it is assumed that the missing word is someone's name, which is again assumed to be Delilah due to the previous mentions. 

The last scene of the opening sequence ends with the title ident of the film's title "City lights, Country nights" fading in as the background fades out to a black screen. The use of a minimal, simple serif font again highlights the characteristics of the genre slice-of-life.

In conclusion, the opening sequence of City lights, Country nights has established its genre of slice-of-life through the use of various codes and conventions such as natural lighting, long shots with little to no cuts, and unlocking old memories. The technical and symbolic aspects that appear in the opening also complement the genre well through the use of natural dietetic sounds, static camera movements, and in-depth mise-en-scene. The film opening has also succeeded in raising enigmatic questions among the audience about the identity of the best friend, the hidden truth about their relationship that led to a downfall, or the message that lies underneath the picture. 

Overall, I feel like City lights, Country nights really stand out in the modern media industry because of its complexity and focus on the inner world of the character. Rather than being just a healing and relaxing movie, the exploration of a person who is introverted in a world where extroverts are more biased and encouraged taps into the growing awareness of human relationships and interconnections. The absence of the character's expressions and inner thoughts which is usually portrayed by a narrative brings in a fresh view of the world from an introverted person to the audience. To conclude, City lights, Country nights is a balanced mixture of the established genre and a blow of fresh air by focusing on a complex protagonist and the world from her perspective.