Film openings (and my character's intended belief system)

For the opening my group has planned, I think its best to look at some great examples of film openings that center around specific characters.

Dead Like Me -  TV Movie Pilot (2003)

Okay, I admit this is a bit of an oddball, but you have to understand that this opening perfectly encapsulates everything I want the character to be. Georgia Lass is an apathetic young adult who does not seem to care about any aspect of her life or the lives of others. The opening uses voice over narration to develop George's character. George explains her philosophy for life in a way that makes it seem as any action at all seem pointless. It is clear that she does not want to be at a job interview, and her conversation with Delores reveals more about her character. She seems to be highly defensive, partially due to her feeling as if her life has amounted to nothing, which contributes to her apathetic belief system. Overall the opening does an amazing job of establishing her character, and foreshadowing the major conflict that sparks a change within her character.

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Jennifer's Body also opens similarly. Anita "Needy" narrates her current situation. Her detached voiceover recounts her current inhabitation of a mental hospital/correction facility. The opening does an amazing job of subverting the typical expectations of a teen drama film before introducing the high school setting. Anita begins to recall how just two months ago she was a regular student who was best friends with the most popular girl in school. This opening does a good job representing it's main character throughout, providing good depth into her character both before and after the incident that got her in the mental institute, without giving away what exactly it was. However, something that I would like to avoid from this opening is its use of the flashback format. While the opening of this movie does develop character the scene is largely disconnected from the rest of the movie. Personally I believe this renders it's good aspects entirely ineffective, as it develops a character that isn't reflective of Needy's actual character throughout most of the movie.

Lady Bird (2017)

Lady Bird is another opening that does a good job of developing the character in a way that foreshadows the upcoming conflicts in the film. It opens in the car where the main character, Ladybird, has just finished listening to a 21-hour audiobook with her mother. It begins on what seems like a deeply intimate moment for the 2 as they begin to cry, but the proceeding conversation quickly sours as they begin to talk about her college decisions. Ladybird wants to go to college far away, while her mother prefers she stays close to their home. Their argument escalates until the end of the scene when Ladybird rolls out of the moving car. The scene provides a deep look into her character as a rebellious young adult who is searching for a way to escape her seemingly mundane life, when she jumps out of the car it represents her willingness to go to great lengths to either change her current situation, or create some form of excitement in her life, which sets up the films primary conflicts with her mother.