Garden State moves through very distinctive sequencing. The movie starts with the coming home experience Andrew Largeman Experiences with the death of his mother. His mother’s death is what moves our character from Los Angeles back to New Jersey. This first sequence is vital to show why we are back home to begin with. The following sequence can be summed up by trying to move on. Largeman is now trying to experience life as well as possibly mourn the death of his mother. This sequence includes hanging with friends and starting his relationship with Sam.
The film broken in parts it would be, funeral, attempting relationships, romantic relationships, life choices. The beginning of the film is experiencing the funeral through very low emotions, the attempting relationships shows Largeman trying to be a human a step out of his box of working non stop to pay for LA’s expensive small living spaces. After Largeman experiences a new kind of relationship with Sam which is able to bring out new emotions as well as allowing him to be more open and talk. Life choices represent decisions, this included falling back into life’s pattern or breaking from it and trying something new.
Garden State represents an argument between Andrew and his Father Mr. Largeman. The two seem at odds at the way in which they believe Andrew should be carrying out his life. They both obviously hold resentment for which his mother ended up in a wheelchair and quite possibly the reason for her death. I would consider to be a Poem in which tells a somber story about the need to experience life. The colors of the film are very dull or almost dingy. One element to Garden State is the pale green that often companions the shots. The soundtrack is what most people think about when experiencing the movie. This can be represented with the way the music is layered throughout the film.
The couple living in the quarry in a house boat at the end of a large home represents an avant-garde . The couple is living much differently than most couples, and while they seem to have little, together have more than most who experience life with an itemized or monetary approach to living and success.
The film presents time in which it is expected to be moving quickly and understood. We don’t see sleeping other than when the film first starts and one point when Largeman wakes up from being passed out at a party. However we are suppose to believe Braff’s character falls in love with Natalie Portman’s “Sam” within the time he is home. With very little representing the passage of time one could find their connection at the end of the movie hard to explain from the short period of time actually together.