10 Themes of When You Find Me

Character:

This scene really exemplifies Lisle’s character. In the screencap you can see her arms spread wide like shes about to take flight. This shows her childish and carefree persona. You can tell shes imaginative by the outfit she’s wearing and props she has with her. Lisle is still young and doesn't have to worry about the troubles of life yet. Lisle faces many changes later on in the movie. She has to learn the truth behind her fantasies and about the true nature of life and death.

Setting:

In this scene we see a giant field. The field shows how vast the area they live in is. There aren't too many outside forces to act on their life. The girls live in an area that is, for the most part, unaffected by outside influences. We can tell by this that they live in a different kind of place where things are simpler.

Backstory:

This scene strongly shows backstory. We’ve never seen the mom before this scene but after seeing this, we can conclude that she was suffering from cancer. By the swollen eyes we can tell shes been crying. Its most likely because she knows her life is soon to end. This scene plays a major toll on the other characters and is a very important, if not the most important scene in the film. The actions of all the other characters in the rest of the movie are affected by this.

Goal:

In this scene Lisle is trying to work an old, crashed airplane. Lisle wants to get it to work in order to visit her mother. Aurora told her that in order to visit her mother she has to fly to heaven. This scene shows how young and imaginative Lisle’s mind really is and how badly she wants to visit her mother.

Time:

This scene really shows time, or rather, the lack of time. This scene takes place in an alternate dream world. The almost monochromatic color scheme brings a calming feeling to the viewer. The endless fields and sky gives a sense of eternity. It gives a feeling as if there is no time to waste there and one doesn't need to worry about time and space. Lisle visits here in the spaceship and finds her mother there waiting. Since time doesn't have a firm grasp here the mothers waiting time is irrelevant and unimportant .

Relationship:

This scene is a resolution to the main problem throughout the whole movie. Aurora finally admits what happened with her and the mother. She forgives Lisle for making them late. Her forgiveness is strong enough to bring Lisle to tears. Later in the movie she finds her mother and truly learns of her mother’s forgiveness. The relationship between all three are strongly grown and enforced. Both the sisters are filled with a deeper understanding of each other’s feelings

Obstacle:

In this scene the gate is a physical obstacle but also a symbolic obstacle too. Lisle wants to go over the gate to find the spaceship and visit her mother. The only thing standing in her way is the gate. The gate may also represent the crossing from her fantasies into reality

Mood:

In this scene, we see Aurora laying in bed with a somber look on her face.  As we learned earlier, she just recently faced the death of her mother. This scene greatly shows sorrow, and the emotional effects of the death of a loved one.  Later in the film, Aurora is able to overcome her sorrow, and let the mother know how she really feels.  

The Unknown:

In this scene, we are taken to a dream world, or the unknown.  The film starts here with no clue as to where it is.  The setting and location is unknown to the viewer and it continues that way for a good part of the film.  The vastness of the setting gives an eternal feeling.  

Discovery:

In this scene Lisle comes across an abandoned, decrepit plane, or in her case, a “spaceship.” She toys around with the levers in order to get the spaceship to work.  Lisle is trying to visit her mom up in Heaven.  As she is experimenting with the switches, they start to glow, and Lisle is transported to her dream world, where she is reunited with her mother.