I'm not sure the use of a small park that uses natural elements as play aspects for children has a huge amount of relevance in the delivery of the sonnet, beyond that the sonnet makes mentions of a view obscured by tears, and the park is called Teardrop Park, but this is where the film is set. There is not a huge amount to work with at the location compared to what some of the other films have had given to them, but it makes good use of what it has because it makes it very much about the location.
As I often to, I read the sonnets before jumping into the film, as I find it too much to take it all in at first glance; with some of them I need the film to help me, but some I understand the tone and meaning pretty well. With sonnet 148 I felt confident going in that I understood the certain amount of malaise and anguish that the writer feels because it seems he has been blinded by love to the true nature of his beloved, and not only that the realization of their flaws has hit him, but also his own inability to see. The film makes this very much about the main character and asks that we understand quite quickly how they are feeling and the probable background that led them to this state.
In this Averett's performance is really good. For a lot of the delivery he is flat on his back (a visual cue to his mood) and only has his face to do his delivery with. In this he convinces well. In a few of the films we have performances that are a bit too actorly – the style that just seems to come when saying Shakespeare; with this performance though it feels natural, like words that are really being spoken and felt rather than projected or "acted". His defeated air and self-awareness comes across well and I liked the device of having him lie flat as well as the slightly odd view of him feeling this way at the bottom of a child's slide in the middle of a sand pit – a very pleasing image for some reason!
The film keeps the sonnet very close to the character and the actor and filming both make that work very well, along with an engaging use of the location.
As I often to, I read the sonnets before jumping into the film, as I find it too much to take it all in at first glance; with some of them I need the film to help me, but some I understand the tone and meaning pretty well. With sonnet 148 I felt confident going in that I understood the certain amount of malaise and anguish that the writer feels because it seems he has been blinded by love to the true nature of his beloved, and not only that the realization of their flaws has hit him, but also his own inability to see. The film makes this very much about the main character and asks that we understand quite quickly how they are feeling and the probable background that led them to this state.
In this Averett's performance is really good. For a lot of the delivery he is flat on his back (a visual cue to his mood) and only has his face to do his delivery with. In this he convinces well. In a few of the films we have performances that are a bit too actorly – the style that just seems to come when saying Shakespeare; with this performance though it feels natural, like words that are really being spoken and felt rather than projected or "acted". His defeated air and self-awareness comes across well and I liked the device of having him lie flat as well as the slightly odd view of him feeling this way at the bottom of a child's slide in the middle of a sand pit – a very pleasing image for some reason!
The film keeps the sonnet very close to the character and the actor and filming both make that work very well, along with an engaging use of the location.