Analysis

Here are the elements which will help you with your analysis of the short film “Viral” by Donald Broida.

The structure is chronological, as the film follows May from the day she overdosed in the grocery store to the time she is sober and asks for a job application in the same place where her life fell apart. 

The short film focuses on May, the main character. May is a woman trying to sort out her life after a video where she is caught overdosing next to her son goes viral, leading to her son being taken away from her. 

The physical setting is a town in the US. May’s new house is important to the setting as the big, empty houses mirrors May’s loneliness with Hayden gone. The gloomy outdoor scenes are also important as they create a gloomy, sad atmosphere which mirrors May’s struggle. 

When it comes to cinematic techniques, framing plays an important role, for instance as close-ups that highlight May’s emotions. When it comes to sound, the melancholic music underlines May’s sadness, while the lack of music in other scenes give the film a realistic, raw feel. Lighting plays an important role, too, as the gloomy weather adds to the melancholy of the film. 

The film also relies on contrasts to present May’s transformation, particularly on the contrast between the type of mother May appears to be in the video and the type of mother she really is. The film also focuses on the contrast between the original video and May’s video in the end, as well as on the contrast between the compassionate clerk and the heartless man who filmed the video. 

You can find a full analysis of the short film on the following pages.