Genre Feature Film

Synopsis

Young orphan Twist’s life really takes a turn for the worse when he is sent out of the orphanage to work. When he runs away he becomes caught up with a gang of street kids led by the grizzly cook Fagin and the terrifying Bill Sikes. One day while pick-pocketing he is rescued from the very man he robs - but with the gang on the look out for Twist, things can’t stay this way for long.

Key Themes

Loss
Disability
Friendship
Creativity and imagination
Hope

Main Characters

Twist – a young orphan boy.

Corlett – the mistress of the orphanage.

Mr. B – takes Twist in and lets him work at his funeral chapel.

Noah – an older boy also living with and working for Mr. B who does not like Twist.

Fagin – the absurd and frightening cook who is the ring-leader of the child gang.

Bill Sikes – the violent criminal superior to Fagin.

Nancy – Bill Sikes girlfriend who tries to protect Twist.

Monks – Oliver’s half-brother through their mutual father’s first marriage. He aims to sully Oliver’s reputation (thus you will see him try to keep Oliver on the streets) because if this occurs, he will get the estate that is Oliver’s inheritance.

Ebrahim Bassedien – a man who is robbed by Twist one day, but decides to take him in and raise him instead of pressing charges.

Francine – Ebrahim’s loyal housekeeper who is fond of Twist.

Adams – Bassedien’s friend who is skeptical of Twist’s goodness.

Shamilla Bassedien – Twist’s mother, and Ebrahim’s daughter.

Ouma – the older woman who finds Shamilla Bassedien just before she gives birth to Twist.

Chester – Ouma’s son, who goes to fetch Corlett when Ouma is on her death bed.

Before the Film

• Before beginning the film, ask yourself what type of film you are watching: this is called the genre. Genre means style of film. For example, is the film a feature film (a long film which tells one main story), a short film (usually from a few minutes to half an hour), a documentary or an animation?

• Ask yourself what the title of the film might mean: speculate as to why the filmmakers would have chosen the specific title. After watching the film, try to make sense of the title in context to the film. Compare your understandings about the meaning of the title before and after watching the film.

• Films use lighting, sound, different angles, movement, sequence and timing to convey meaning. Remember to keep these aspects in mind when watching a film.

Things to Think and Talk About Post-Screening

• A lot of meaning was conveyed through lighting in Boy Called Twist. Although much of the film was set in a gloomy, bluish lighting, can you recall which scenes were especially dark/darkly lit and which scenes were light/lightly lit? Do you think this was an effective way for the filmmaker to impose an atmosphere? Explain why or why not. Explain if you would have done differently, and if so, what.

• Some of the characters were stylised, i.e. Fagin or Monks, while others appeared more realistically. Can you think of which characters seemed realistic to you and which did not? Did any of them fall on the boarder line between realism and hyperbole? Consider the psychological, physical and social characteristics and how they defined the characters.

• List three characters you wish you had better insight into. Explain why and at which points in the film you would have liked to “see through their eyes”.

• The music was a big part of the film. It was modern and jazz-influenced to hip-hop and rap rhythms to Islamic chants. How did this affect the film? How did the timing of the music influence the integration of the characters with their surroundings? Explain.

• How did the characters accents and the use of slang impact the film. Did it make it more realistic even though sometimes difficult to understand? Or did you find it overly exaggerated and too foreign? Did it add to your appreciate of the film or negate from the experience?