Film Scene Analysis - A Very Dehydrated Joe

1:25:33 - 1:26:33

In this scene you can see Joe desperately drinking dirty water since he is severely dehydrated. The function of this scene is to display how desperate Joe is for survival and the lengths he's willing to go to get back to camp. It allows the viewers to empathise with Joe and his tragic situation.

The focal visual elements of this scene include the water glistening and flowing in a somewhat relaxing manner in 1:25:55. This close-up shot seems to be what the water looks like in Joe’s perspective, meaning Joe is looking at this water as if it is a treasure or reward due to his extreme dehydration. The choice of making the water look so desirable can indicate how happy Joe is to finally see it.

A few seconds later, there is another close-up shot of the water. However, this time, the water is the complete opposite of appealing and this seems to be in the perspective of an outside viewer (what the water actually looks like). In this case, the water is a grey and murky colour. The effect of making to water look so undesirable is to show how Joe doesn't care about how hygienic the water is since he all he craves is survival.

In the voiceover, Joe states that he “drank litres and litres of it” (it being the water). The repetition of “litres” emphasises the huge amount of water Joe consumed and how dehydrated he must have been before finding it. Joe also says: “I could feel myself just immediately getting stronger”. In retrospect, Joe getting stronger foreshadows him getting back to camp and reuniting with Simon and Richard.