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Gasman - the Importance of Trust between Characters

Gasman is a short film made in 1998 by Lynne Ramsay about a man who lives two lives. The film is shown mainly through the eyes of his daughter, in an innocent but hard-hitting way.
It's the Christmas season. With her mom's help, Lynne, a girl of perhaps eight, dresses up; her younger brother Steven plays with a toy car. The children leave with their dad, who's affectionate with them. They walk down a railroad track where an unkempt woman waits with two children, about the same age as Lynne and Steven. The children go with them. They're all headed to a holiday party at a pub. Lynne notices that the girl acts all too familiar with her dad. What's going on?
 Plot Summary - IMDB
The film has an observant feel to it, like the camera itself is a 'third person' watching the plot unfold - sometimes from a distance and other times up close. The camera is mostly hand-held, free in a documentary style. It seems that the camera was left rolling as the characters in the story play out the scenes. In fact, it is all quite natural, in that the characters are completely believable.


Lynne Ramsay wrote the script for the film, but it's like the script was simply the foundation for the film and the rest was down to innovation and individual interpretation. The characters blend so well together, their reactions and words so realistic, that you almost forget that you are watching a film.

You can watch the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6mwS6NVZWc

The relationships between the actors come across as strong on camera, their trust in each other resulting in a cast that could perhaps be related in real life. 

The beginning scenes in the family home bring a real-life feel to the film, the tension between the parents and the children extremely realistic. On the railway new characters are introduced, and the relationships that build between the existing characters and the new are quite natural, particularly in the way that the children befriend each other. Inside the pub, the atmosphere is one of chaos and yet complete normality. The events that unfold within that location show the fragile relationship between the two little girls, and how easily jealousy can ruin a friendship.

Gasman shows how the trust between the actors/actresses in a film is vital to creating a believable storyline. If the cast does not trust one other, and their relationships are not real, then the storyline will crumble, and the film will ultimately become less successful.

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