Question: Describe an important turning point in the text.
Explain how this turning point affected a character or characters.
One event can change a person’s entire identity. This is displayed in the film “Catch Me if You Can” by Steven Spielburg through the character Frank Abagnale Jr. Through the turning point of the divorce of his parents, it led to significant changes to his lifestyle. This chosen question is developed through the way the divorce of his parents showed how his identity of being in a perfect family was stripped away from him, his core reason for being a con artist and how much love he has for his family. The film itself uses an abundant variety of film techniques that includes camera angles/shots/movement, sound, focus and lighting.
In ‘Catch Me if You Can’ Frank Abagnale Jr. had significant changes to his lifestyle. This was due to the turning point of his parents having a divorce because of Frank Abagnale Snr’s IRS debt. This turning point changed Frank Abagnale Jr. and his identity. The use of lighting that was present during the divorce scene shows the way Frank’s face was split, half in shadow and the other half in light. This creates the understanding that half of his identity is gone. The identity of being in a perfect happy family was stripped away from him by a single divorce. Before the divorce, Frank was experiencing the ‘white picket fence, happy family’ life. Frank had lived this life when he was born, all up until he was 16 years old. The life he once had being stripped away in a second can certainly affect a person, especially those who are young at age. This is what is happening to Frank. This demonstrates how the turning point of his parents getting a divorce affected him by making him feel like half of his identity is getting stripped away.
The way the turning point of Frank Abagnale Jr’s parents having a divorce led him to become a con artist only shows how the turning point really affected him. Frank Jr. used running away as his only option to figure out the situation. Running away and taking care of himself only led him to being one of the biggest con artists of his time at only 16 years old. Viewers of the film can see how much this turning point affected Frank because of his action of running away. The use of high angle during the divorce scene highlights the vulnerability Frank must have felt in that moment. The vulnerability Frank felt must have caused the reason why he ran away. When teenagers feel vulnerable or don’t know what to do in that situation, they tend to flee from their troubles. This is what Frank must have felt and did at that moment. During his run away, he has conned and lied to many people. Frank has also been playing with money and many banks. All of what he was doing during his run away only happened because of the divorce. This shows how the turning point of his parents having a divorce had a significant effect on him.
Frank’s decision of his actions that were impacted by the divorce of his parents only showed how much love and care he has for his family. The use of close up in the divorce scene showed Frank’s expression of distraught and confusion upon the situation. This showed an understanding to the viewers that he was torn with the decision of whether to stay with his mum or his dad. This situation ultimately led him to run away and devote his life to being a con artist. Frank became a pilot, doctor and lawyer during his con artist years in which he fooled many people and banks. However, all of what he did, he did to ‘fix’ what was already and will stay broken: The relationship between his parents. Frank’s reason in trying to make a big amount of money was not entirely for the luxurious life, but so he can have his parents take a vacation in hawaii. It was his parents that led his motive of being a con artist, but it was so they can be a family again. Frank is just a teenager who missed the happy family he used to have. This shows how Frank’s decision of his actions that were impacted by the divorce of his parents only showed how much love and care he has for his family.