'Tumble Dry Low' Analysis

'Tumble Dry Low': Analysis

'Tumble Dry Low' is a short film, directed by Jefferson Stein, that deals with the subject of loss. The only two characters featured in the film are a father and his young daughter, both living in a trailer somewhere in East Texas. The film deals with its subject matter in a touching and respectful way, and has helped provide inspiration for certain scenes within our film, from a tonal perspective. 

The film opens with an establishing shot of a trailer in the woods, making it immediately clear to the audience where the family lives, and where the entirety of the film will take place. We are then introduced to the young girl, as we see her painting a picture, although it is initially unclear what the picture is. Her father enters the trailer, noticing his daughter's painting and saying: "Dammit Sarah." He lifts up the picture and we get a close-up shot of it. It is a stick figure painting of a family, clearly featuring a father, mother and a daughter. We are obviously led to believe that the mother has passed away. The film's light and sombre score begins to play, as the film's title appears on screen. There is then another close-up of the girl's painting, with the camera zooming in on the drawing of the mother. We then see that the father is holding the picture, appearing emotional. He sits in the bathtub, looking contemplative and unsure, as the film's sombre and downbeat score continues to play. We then get a number of shot reverse shot and over the shoulder shots of the two lead characters eating dinner. Neither character utters a word during the scene, while the father mostly stares off into the distance. It is apparent that the loss of his wife has become incredibly difficult for him, as he struggles to communicate, even with his own daughter. It is also clear that young girl misses her mother deeply, however, she is dealing with the loss in a different, less emotional yet more obsessive, way. She also appears to be in a state of confusion about the matter, obviously due to her age, as revealed throughout the dinner scene. Multiple over the shoulder shots, throughout this scene, highlight her looking at her father somewhat wide-eyed, conveying to the audience that she is too young to fully understand the matter and may be seeking answers. Another, essentially identical, shot of the trailer appears, making it clear that we are now into the following day. The father is once again shown sitting in the bathtub, with the focus of the shot being on his daughter's painting, which is hanging in the foreground. The sense of loss won't leave them, as the filmmaker may be trying to convey that everyday features the same mundane routine, with the feeling of loss constantly pervading them. The girl can be seen looking in on her father, perhaps wanting to help him but not knowing how. A close-up shot of a lighter and its flame appear next in the centre of the shot, with the girl sitting at the table looking on. The fire alarm goes off and the man rushes in to help his daughter. The next shot shows them fleeing the trailer. The man sets the young girl down outside, looking at her reassuringly, and with a sense of relief. A wide shot shows the trailer burning, from a distance, in the dark of the night. They both wake up the next morning, having slept outside the burnt trailer. As the girl coughs, the man hands her something. It turns out to be her painting of the family. The drawing of the mother has been half burnt off. A close-up shot shows the two of them holding hands, the father firmly gripping the hand of his daughter. The closing shot is a mid-shot of the two of them looking on, as the credits begin to roll. The burning of the trailer, coupled with the burnt drawing of the mother, implies that the two are linked. The destruction of the trailer being necessary for the two of them to move on with their lives, no longer spending everyday inside their former home, thinking of the mother.

Although our film features a number of comedic scenes and elements to it, there are also moments of sadness. Watching films, such as this, have helped us to better understand how to convey these emotions within the film, as they would be quite similar tonally to this short film, although a lot more dialogue-heavy.