What Richard Did

Our tutor suggested we watch "What Richard Did" as an example of believable and natural dialogue within a film. It is a fictional Irish film, looking at the life of golden boy, Richard Karlsen, part of the privileged set of Dublin teenagers. It was directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Malcolm Campbell.

From the opening scene, I could see immediately why my tutor had recommended we watch it. The dialogue- or banter- between the boys is so natural, it was immediately recognisable to me- I know people who actually talk this way. This makes you connect with the film a lot more because it seems more relatable.
The dialogue helps to set up the relationships between the characters, rather than trying to reveal anything significant about their backstory. Within the dialogue, characters talk over one another and mess up their words, and we get a glimpse into the very mundane, everyday conversations between people. This makes a refreshing change from the like of Hollywood films, where every sentence is carefully composed for a specific dramatic effect.
The dialogue definitely helps to play a huge part in creating the realism in this film, and there are some tips we can take for the writing of our script.