Being one of my favorite movies and consequently watching it in class I chose the movie "Chasing Amy" written by Kevin Smith. The two main characters, Holden (Ben Affleck) and Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), get into a relationship transforming from friends to lovers. I chose this film because the cinematography in it is great. Cinematography- is the technique of making a movie including both the shooting and the development of a film. Cinematography has existed for as long as film has. It can be used in many different forms, artistic expression, political belief's and to types of culture. Chasing Amy follows this pattern of cinematography with showing the relationships of Holden and Alyssa change into a budding romance. This movie is the third installment of Smith's "New Jersey Trilogy". "The New Jersey Trilogy" consists of two other films as well. The critically acclaimed Clerks and the not so critically acclaimed, Mallrats. "Clerks had been over-praised, Mallrats has been over-bashed, third time's the charm," (View Askew.com) Smith said on his website. .
The movie stars Ben Affleck as Holden McNeel, an aspiring comic book artist who falls in love with another comic book artist, Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams). As the movie goes on, you find out that Alyssa is a lesbian and all the encounters she had with men which led her to make that decision. But in one key moment when Holden admits his feelings to Alyssa, the whole pace of the movie changes. Alyssa decides to take a chance and decides that Holden is the one for her as she throws her whole world upside down to be with him. But in the end, her radical and experimental life style is too much for Holden as he finds out a little to much of her past for his liking and throws it all away. But finding out the hard way of the error of his ways he finds out that it is too late and learns the lesson "it's not who you love, but how." (View Askew.com) Holden's inability to deal with aspects of Alyssa's sexual history reflects Smith's own problems dealing with aspects of (his girlfriend's) past makes this a very personal film for Smith, and he shows it in the way he films this movie.