A Thousand Stars: Episode I, Part 17
May. 5th, 2022 08:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilIt's important to remember just how young Anakin is during this film, such as when Qui-Gon informs him he's been freed. His first reaction to the idea of leaving Tatooine is the simple thrill of riding in a real starship. Then, as Qui-Gon warns him of the hard life of a Jedi, he insists that he wants to do it -- surely not understanding the true implications of this. And it has not yet occurred to him that he'll pay a very dear price in leaving home behind.
But Shmi already knows.
The shots of her silent reactions are so heartbreaking. Long before Anakin realizes he has to leave his mother, she is already grieving, both for her loss and for his.
At last, as he's about to run off and pack, he pauses.
Note his positioning at the threshold. Anakin is frequently shown in doorways, caught in that liminal space between one place and another. He can't comprehend the full extent of the disruption his life is about to undergo. His mom's coming with them, right? She has to. Anything else is unthinkable. But no. He is forced to confront it.
Anakin is trapped between two contradictions. He wants to go. He doesn't want to leave his mother. He wants to travel the galaxy and visit every star. He doesn't want anything to change. He wants both, and that is impossible. This is the beginning of the fracture that will continue to widen to a near-irreparable break.
More of this evocative imagery next time...
But Shmi already knows.
The shots of her silent reactions are so heartbreaking. Long before Anakin realizes he has to leave his mother, she is already grieving, both for her loss and for his.
At last, as he's about to run off and pack, he pauses.
Note his positioning at the threshold. Anakin is frequently shown in doorways, caught in that liminal space between one place and another. He can't comprehend the full extent of the disruption his life is about to undergo. His mom's coming with them, right? She has to. Anything else is unthinkable. But no. He is forced to confront it.
Anakin is trapped between two contradictions. He wants to go. He doesn't want to leave his mother. He wants to travel the galaxy and visit every star. He doesn't want anything to change. He wants both, and that is impossible. This is the beginning of the fracture that will continue to widen to a near-irreparable break.
More of this evocative imagery next time...
