Where the Red Fern Grows

     This is a very family friendly movie that tells the classic tale of a boy and his dogs. The score of the movie was terrible, and often distracting, but the story is alive and full of emotion. As always, when working with younger actors, there was a lower standard of professionalism in the finished product, but besides that it was a nice film. Although it is quite sad, the best scene in the whole movie is when young Billy finds the symbolic red fern between the graves of his beloved dogs. This scene was shot in a specific way to emphasize the significance of the fern. As his family turned away to leave, there was a moment of pure symmetry on the screen. The two graves stood side by side and on either side of the boy was a parent and a little sister. Not only was this moment symmetrical, but it also formed a visual line drawing viewers eyes down to the fern. The tallest thing in the shot (the parents) were on the ends, and then the little girls standing (the next tallest), leading one's eyes to the little boy sitting before the grave. Billy's eyes turned downward towards the fern act as the final detail which influences the viewer to look at the fern. The meaning of this fern is told through a lovely bit of foreshadowing in the beginning of the film, when Billy's little sister tells the story behind her drawing. It is a beloved story, and a good film; it certainly isn't a masterpiece, but it has a great story!