YEAR 4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE B (2021)
FILM REVIEW
WRITTEN: TORAJANS: THE LAST RITES
Writing Assignment
Year 4 ELB Paper 1: Film Review
Theme: Identities (Subtopic: Lifestyles)
Write a film review of the film, ‘………………………………………...…………………’
Write 350 – 400 words.
Outline
Paragraph 1
[≈ 30-40 words]
‘Torajans: the last rites’ is a documentary about ... [summarise the
story in 30-40 words]
Give a gist of the
documentary.
Paragraph 2
[≈ 100 words]
Give the reader a
sense of how the
producer
approaches the film.
The film is set in ... [describe 3-4 locations used in the film set and
explain what the geographic features reveal about this indigenous
people and their customs and beliefs]
It is narrated using a combination of the narrator’s voice-over and
interviews with ... [pick 3 main characters, give their names, who
they are and their significant roles in telling the story]
The documentary is trying to convey ... [explain the message(s) or
themes that are communicated to the viewers]
Paragraph 3
[≈ 100 words]
Analyse the different
scenes of the film
The narrative is divided into several main scenes ... [identify 2-3
key scenes and what each shows e.g. Scene 1 begins in the home of
Damaris who cares for the bodies of her dead aunt and uncle for two
years as she has no money to give them their proper funeral
ceremony.
The next scene moves to ... [do the same]
From this scene, viewers are brought to ... [do the same]
The final scene is ... [do the same]
Paragraph 4
[≈ 150 words]
Analyse the
technical aspects
Briefly analyse how the producer uses
 lighting (e.g. film is based on daylight hours, no night scenes ...
why?)
 props (e.g. Rambo solo ritual, tombs in caves, effigies, Tau Tau,
sacrifice of buffaloes, pigs ... how do they help you to understand
YEAR 4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE B (2021)
FILM REVIEW
WRITTEN: TORAJANS: THE LAST RITES
Paragraph 5
[≈ 40-50 words]
their customs?)
 staging (e.g. people interviewed are always seated, standing,
static ... why?)
 close-up camera shots (e.g. identify which ones and the
benefit?)
 wide shots (e.g. of the mountainous region and what does it tell
you about the habitat of the Torajans?)
 sound (e.g. identify 1-2 scenes where the use of sound is
deliberate and for what purpose?)
Identify and explain just one aspect that you like about the film
and one aspect that you do not like about the film.