Movie Research: Take Care of Maya - Chronicle of Chronics

            Hi everyone! Today I will be inspecting Take Care of Maya (2023). This is a documentary focused on a girl, Maya, facing severe medical challenges. She comes to face many medical mishaps and there is an underlying theme of crime. I would group this with crime documentaries since it features a court case for medical malpractice and uncovers hidden truths which is parallel to the investigations in Crime Documentaries. Maya faces adversities that no one should have to go through, making a compelling story to share. After watching the movie in totality, I would like to study the opening sequence more here. 

Genre Traits

Take Care of Maya (2023) uses a montage-like opening sequence to provide an overview of the topics to be covered. The elements that stood out to me the most were the set design and props shown. Everything shown in the opening sequence had a purpose. 

At the start, there is an establishing shot of an unlighted, stormy beach. Waves are crashing uncontrollably with a chaotic voiceover. It creates a sense that this is unfathomable. Next, there is a clip with abandoned children’s beach toys. The prop is left there as if someone had to flee the scene. 

Following a deserted park is shown. A shot-reverse-shot displays a child on a swing. First, the swing is left barren which then is back shadowed to show a young child, presumably Maya, happily swinging and then reserved back to the barren swing.

After this point, the montage starts. It displays the main characters, Maya, her father, and her brother in their home, ambulances, footage from courtrooms and hearings, caution tape, police lights/sirens, wheelchairs, and a reckless storm throughout. Within the montage a billboard displaying the words “Ranked #1 Children’s Hospital in Florida” in gloomy clouds. The contradiction between a high achievement and unruly weather hints at a scandal. The mixture of nefarious sets and props alludes to an unforeseen series of events. 

The profound visual metaphors cultivate an intriguing yet grueling opening sequence. They communicate layered and complex concepts that can grip the attention of the audience and make for an intriguing movie. Hiding messages within the visuals instead of flat-out giving the motives helps uncover the story. When storyboarding my Final Task it will be important to remember this element. 

Appealing Elements 

• One element that particularly stood out to me was the combination of B-roll and A-roll. There was a constant toggle between the type of shots being used creating a visually interesting narrative. Some of the B-roll included was located at a beach, park, ship, etc. Seemingly random sites but all were neglected. This brings forth the ideas of medical neglect to neglected information which later becomes heightened. The A-roll is the core of the documentary. It was mainly recordings from courtrooms and images of important characters. The Final Cut makes for an exceptional documentary. I will be sure to include edited footage in my opening sequence. 

Disfavored Elements 

•  The opening sequence of this movie was particularly confusing if you didn't take the time to fully watch it. There was a dump of visual and auditory evidence which left me with many questions. Though this is somewhat the point of an opening sequence in hopes of enticing viewers to keep watching, it's not necessary. I felt there was an information overload. For that reason, I plan on not creating such a fast-paced montage for my opening sequence. But, I do not plan on veering away from montages as a whole. 

Takeaways 

The disturbing documentary that is, Take Care of Maya (2023) is truly gut-wrenching. From a cinematic view, the story is depicted in a way that brings you through the story of Maya with her. By building a connection throughout, the plot remains jolting with each discovery. The visual cues are unlike any movie I have yet explored. With all respect to the devastating events, I aspire to make a film just as enthralling. This documentary is a great resource to show a well-composed film.