Sonder & my film idea

'Sonder' is a low frequency word I have seen used on social networking websites (originally from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, which I discovered after researching it) that describes the realisation that other people exist around you with as complex a life as yourself. It links well with my interest in Love Actually's subplots and Amelie's narration and gives me lots of ideas for how I could include them in my film.

(from UrbanDictionary.com)

After discovering this word and its definition it has inspired me to create my film based around the idea of it. My current idea for my film is (in basic list form-not developed):

-Based around the point of view of one person

-Multiple other people are featured in random parts of the film repeatedly in 'Love Actually' style

-It has the narration in Amelie's style when each person has their likes and dislikes spoken as they appear in the film

-The protagonist's every day life is shown in a series of short (1-5 second) clips- doing every day tasks such as walking to school or packing their bag

-Again in 'Love Actually' style, from the opening credits where there is a grid of short clips of each person that links to the rest of the film

-Circular narrative like the short films I did a textual analysis of

It shows insight into not just the protagonist's life but those around them too, much like the word Sonder suggests. It is avant-garde as there is a creative aspect in the idea and is unique and far from traditional genre conventions.

My idea is in a basic form currently and will be developed a lot further in the production of the film; another thing I love about the genre is how easy it is to develop your idea while creating it and it has the unexpected showing.


My film idea is unique and away from convention because in the majority of films they are not only focussed on the negative and how the characters develop form that but within the characters themselves they always follow typical conventional forms, such as the pretty blonde or the fat best friend. In my film I am focusing on the lives of ordinary people that you would see around, not a glorified version. It is a natural form and gives the audience an insight into the lives of ordinary people like them, not characters that they hope to be and will never be. They can relate to the film and it will make them think, as they begin to realise that other people exist with lives just like their own (as the subject of the film suggests).