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Brandon Cisneros

Professor Severance

Understanding Movies-01

18 December 2019

Pieces of April​ Analysis

When the film first starts the audience can see that there are some issues the

main character is facing. Storming off away from her boyfriend and becoming angry all

of a sudden shows there is some history maybe with them two or post trauma. As the

audience continues watching they realize that some of the issues is family. April Burns

is in New York City away from family and the only one close to her is her boyfriend

Bobby. This shows the difference in the character grouping and potential social

hierarchies between April and the rest of her family. by The audience notices the little

things that bobby does no matter what in order to see April smile and make her happy.

They begin to make Thanksgiving dinner and it seems like April nor Bobby knows how

to actually create this dinner, but continue to try their best. During this film all the

characters seem to change and develop, but in this Essay the focus is on April and Joy.

Many factors from the narrative structure such as linear and non linear chronological

narratives play a crucial part in the character's development by showing different

emotions, actions, and internal struggles that most characters in this film face.

Starting with the emotions with April, like stated above, the audience can see

some sort of internal struggle. As the film progresses the audience then sees that April

is trying to make Thanksgiving dinner for her family who are driving up from suburbia.
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After seeing her struggle preparing Thanksgiving dinner the director then cuts to her

father, mother, and other siblings and they seem to be very disappointed in going to

April's place for dinner. The mother however seems to be ready to go, but does not look

excited at all. While the family is getting ready the only optimistic person is Jim, April’s

father. The audience notices that the mom is sick because the other characters begin to

question the well being of Joy. Ironically, her name is Joy, but her facial expression and

attitude is not joyful even though the circumstances of her well being. The director then

cuts back to April where the audience then finds out that her oven is no longer working,

so be begins knocking on everyone in the apartment complex’s door to use their oven

and everyone is turning her down, but one couple. However, using the oven was only

temporary, so April had to find another oven, As she's letting her turkey cook she begins

talking to the couple about how she's making the turkey and other dishes. The couple

then laugh and help her out by telling her some of their ingredients in their dishes

making April unintentionally feel discouraged. Cutting further into the film the audience

sees that April feels accomplished with their Thanksgiving dinner and she was notified

that her family has arrived by Bobby. She quickly runs out to greet them when she is

faced with the fact that they left. April breaks down in agony and says “not again.” This

shows us that something similar in the past has happened before. The audience then

sees a shift in her mood when she invites the people who helped her cook her food and

used their ovens over for dinner. This in away could make the audience think of the

saying, “it takes a village to raise a child.” It took everyone who helped April to feel at

home and content without her actual family being there. That is until there is a knock on
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the door and it is Joy and Timmy. The audience then sees April rejoice with happiness

and her family happy for the first time in a long time.

During this film, the other character that seemed to change drastically at the end

was Joy. Like stated earlier Joy showed the dissatisfaction of going to April’s for

Thanksgiving. In fact, she tried to make up various excuses throughout the entire drive

to take up the time. Some of the things she did were telling her husband to stop

frequently not only because she was sick, but also because she wanted to drag out the

car ride. Joy also decided to make terrible jokes about the past times about April making

the audience see how wicked a mom could be to her child. In the process she managed

to demonstrate favoritism towards Timmy leaving Beth feeling like a burden, but slowly

adjusted to the situations. This shows the audience early on in the film her true

character. She did not believe that going to April’s will be better than any of the other

times they have went to visit. It was when Joy realized in the bathroom of a restaurant

they went to after leaving April’s apartment where she was faced with a dilemma maybe

similar to the one Joy faced with April. The mother in the bathroom told her daughter,

“im leaving, you are on your own we’ll see how you like that” and that is when Joy just

looked at the little girl all alone until she quickly ran after her mother. Here the audience

can infer that something like this happened to Joy and April. This caused Joy to change

her whole mindset and hitch-hiked a ride by some bikers to April’s house where she

then found peace of being with her daughter and enjoying each others company along

with everyone April met that day.

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In the end the audience notices that the narrative space changes and intertwines

with one another ideologically, psychologically, and transformed into an almost symbolic

narrative by all the characters being happy within the environment of April and Bobby’s

apartment. The film introduces girl rebellious shows her development and also shows a

dying mother who is caught up in the feelings of dying, twisting it into a morbid way, and

struggling with a family crisis who then becomes aware that no matter what she is

dealing with or what life throws at them that April is her child and that Joy should start

acting like a mother rather than turning her back on April. These characters develop in

chronological order by showing the divided characteristics of April and Joy.

Metaphorically they are water and oil and do not mix because of past issue, but after

this Thanksgiving dinner that all changes.

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Works Cited

Hedges, Peter. “Pieces of April.” ​YouTube​, YouTube, 2004, ​www.youtube.com

/watch?v=jq1MkzJLqvI&has_verified=1.