"SEPTEMBER" Review

SEPTEMBER 

Esther May Campbell (2009)

September opens with a shot of a motorway bridge, we are in motion.

This is a thread that continues throughout the entire story; a story of moving, of a journey.

Fig. 1 September (2009)

Watching “September” for a second time, I found that symbolically, the core narrative could be found in its opening minutes. A Spider and a Horse are shown in brief cuts, the presence of these Animals could be seen to be communicating the feelings currently being experienced by the Protagonist. The Spider for some yields feelings of fear, of being trapped, but also of patience, of waiting until the right moment to take action. The Horse is synonymous with freedom, luck and travel, all of which our Protagonist is yet to encounter on his journey. When analysed alongside our plot, the Animals are contextualised, and remain in-keeping with the visual language of the film. These themes, of feeling trapped and a desire for freedom, continue throughout the duration of the film and manifest themselves in many ways.

Fig. 2 September (2009)

The story follows a ‘traditional' story arc, in the vein of Joseph Campbell’s Heroes Journey. This idea is succinctly summarised as “The hero’s journey is a common narrative archetype, or story template, that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory with that newfound knowledge, and then returns home transformed.” (Atwood, 2021) ‘September’ fits within these boundaries and clearly demonstrates the desire of the Protagonist from early on through it’s exploration of the Character’s work and personal life. Limiting the settings provide an excellent contrast in backdrops from the claustrophobic interiors of the Motorway service station, to the exterior of the boundless natural world and our understanding of the Protagonist’s wants and needs are clearly laid out by the time he spends alone, longing to be elsewhere. These desires become almost tangible when a work colleague leaves to attend University and ‘escapes’ the same place that he feels trapped. This helps to mute any internal conflict and uncertainty, by making his own personal desires seem justified and achievable.

It is my view that the value in this story is universally relatable. We all have our own ways of escaping, and our own things to escape from. When ordinary life doesn’t meet certain expectations, it can be difficult to appreciate our personal situation. Philosopher, historian and psychologist William James writes “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” 

Ultimately, the story is satisfactorily resolved as the viewer can appreciate and separate the difference between the ‘wants’ and the ‘needs’ of the Protagonist and that he has achieved the thing that he desired most- Escape.

Bibliography:

Figure 1. Campbell, Esther May. (2009) September. At https://vimeo.com/155538337 Accessed on 07.10.21

Figure 2. Campbell, Esther May. (2009) September. At https://vimeo.com/155538337 Accessed on 07.10.21

Atwood. 2021. Writing 101: What Is the Hero’s Journey? 2 Hero’s Journey Examples in Film. [online] Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-the-heros-journey#joseph-campbell-and-the-heros-journey> [Accessed 7 October 2021].