Analysis of the

opening two

minutes of 'Yasmin'

The film starts in silence. The titles last for fourteen seconds.

The first characters we see are an elderly man and a young male, both are Muslims however, the older man wears traditional

Muslim clothing where as the younger male wears traditional Western clothes. This

shows contrast between the old and young and between the two cultures. The only

sound which is audible is naturalistic (diegetic/on-screen) - feet shuffling along the

road.

This shot shows racist graffiti scrawled across metal shutters. This indicates to the audience that the film with tackle the issue of racism, specifically in the Muslim community. Both characters

appear to take no notice of the abuse, which suggests this isn't the first time

this has happened.

Throughout the rest of the opening sequence, we hear this male singing

in traditional Arabic. This music is parallel to the action on screen,

which is generally slow and relaxed.

This establishing shot shows the run down community. British Realism films are typically set in working

class areas of Britain just like 'Yasmin'. This sets the scene for the

audience as its lets us see the conditions in which the characters

live in. 

This shot shows a female changing out of traditional Muslim clothes into jeans. This shows a conflict between the two cultures. It also raises questions such as 'why is she

changing?' and 'why is she doing it so secretly?'