With respect to Billy Elliot, you will need to examine the various experiences that each of the characters face, and how these speak to broader human experiences that the audience can connect with. Furthermore, your response must always consider how language and form (so in this case, the ‘language’ of cinema) is used to convey these notions or to manipulate the audience’s experience of the text. Note how the syllabus emphasises an analysis of the emotions attached to human experiences, the paradoxes of human behaviour and the role of storytelling.
You can access the syllabus description here. You should always pay close attention to the rubric for any module, and this is no different. This study guide is structured as follows: The key to Billy Elliot is understanding how challenging ideas about the human experience – new perspectives and arguments about how we should live our lives – are delivered in sympathetic and even comedic ways. The themes of the film may be more commonplace and well known in todays world, but in the context of the film’s creation they were cutting edge and, to some, provocative. 6.1 Experiences of resistance against authorityīilly Elliot is Stephen Daldry’s 2000 film about a boy becoming a ballet dancer, and gained acclaim for its promotion of individual identity, its challenge to restrictive gender norms and its celebration of artistic pursuits.
1 HSC English Advanced – Texts and Human Experiences – Study Guide.