Discussion questions:
- The film had dim lighting, no score and little camerawork. How did that add to the effectiveness of the film.
- How does the film’s camerawork, soundtrack, mood, etc. compare to Into the Wild.
- Watch ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, Anatomy of a Scene with Director Jean-Marc Vallée
Talking about Dallas Buyer’s Club
Discuss the film with a classmate, using some of the terms below.
Telling a story about a film
Here are some ways you can tell the story (plot) of a film you’ve seen.
It’s set in…(New York / in the 1950’s).
The film’s shot on location in Arizona.
The main characters are … and they’re played by…
It’s a mystery / thriller / love-story.
You can tell the story of the film in the present simple tense.
Well, the main character decides to… (rob a bank)
But when he drives there…
Giving your opinion
I thought the film was great / OK / fantastic…
The actors / costumes / screenplay are/is …
The special effects are fantastic / terrible
The best scene / the worst scene is when…
The plot is believable / seems a bit unlikely
Not telling all
You don’t want to spoil the film for your friends, so you can say something like:
“I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’m not going to tell you what happens in the end.”
“You’ll have to go and see it for yourself.”
“I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you.”
Useful adjectives
All these are useful words and phrases to spice up your description:
true-to-life (a real story)
the real story of
remarkable (unusual, good)
masterpiece (the best work someone has done)
oscar-winning