1) The document provides a summary and analysis of the movie No Country for Old Men. 2) It discusses how the movie subverts traditional storytelling conventions and leaves interpretations open-ended for audiences. 3) The author highlights several lessons learned from the movie, including the importance of constant self-improvement, accepting the unpredictability of life, and considering whether antagonists can also be protagonists.

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Shashank Mishra (19P047)
Marketing of Services, Assignment 2
MDI Gurgaon
Learnings from a Movie: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Figure 1 Movie Poster
Please note:The ideaof the documentistonot give awayany majorspoilerssothatthe people
whohaven’twatchedthe movie canenjoyitseamlesslyandprobablygetalittle pushtowatchone
of myfavourite films.
Also,nobusinesslearningswereimmediatelydrawnafterwatchingthe film.Thisassignmenthas
helpedme incarvingoutthe learningstomy normal life aswell asbusinessscenarios.

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Theme
The theme of the documentis:LearningsfromaMovie.I have concentratedontwoaspects
that are: Story telling(Howto connectwithyouraudience) and personal life learnings.
In termsof storytelling,thismovie followsthe Andrew Stantonmodelthatwe shouldnottell
our audience thatsomethingisequal to4.We shouldleave itat2+2 and letthe audience
complete the answerontheirown.Also, "The audience wantstoworkfortheirmeal,they
justdon't wantto knowthat you're makingthemdo that".Participationof the audience is
equallyimportantattimestomake somethingbeautiful.Pleasefindthe linktothe TEDTalk
below:
Figure 2 Screenshot from the Ted Talk of Andrew Stanton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDwieKpawg&feature=youtu.be
Also,inpersonal learnings,Ihave learnedthatthe worldis:unpredictable,movingata fast
pacedand won’twaitfor anyone soprobablya constantsearchfor upgrade isthe needof
the hour.

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Technical Info
Figure 3 Technical Info
Why I selected this topic?
No CountryforOldmenwas releasedin2007 andis writtenanddirectedbyJoel andEthan
Coel.Itis a neo-WesternCrimethrilleranditprobablyredefinedthe genre.Irecently
watchedthe movie andI wascompletelyinawe withthe kindof storytellingIwitnessed.Not
to forgetaboutthe brilliantactingfromuniversallyacceptedworldclassactorsandbrilliant
directionfromCritics’favouritesCoel Brothers.
I selectedthistopicbecause thismovie broke the normal storytellingconventionforme
(There mightbe a lotof moviesthatmighthave done the same butthismovie wasmy first
inthisrespect).

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I am fromMukhautey(DramaticsClubof MDI Gurgaon) and my passiontocreate content
for myaudience made me fall inlove withthisfilmmore.Ikeeponpromotingthismovie
amongstmy friendsandwhenthisassignmentcame up, Ithoughtabout writingonit.
What’s good about the film?
Thisis a movie that respectsits audience immenselyandsuitably enoughtoletthem
determine differentmeaningsforthemselves,andindoingso,createsameaningabove and
beyondanythingthatcouldbe said directly onthe screen.
I firmlybelievethatthis movie raisesquestionsabouthuman beliefsofmoralityand ethics,
but fortunately doesnotseemtoofferanysingle orcorrectanswerbeyondthe factthat the
worldremainsindifferenttothe strivingsof itspeople.The movieisnotat all concerned
withprovidingananswerora correct moral philosophy.Instead,the movie aimstoexplore
the limitsandfrailtiesof several philosophical frameworksdealingwithmoralityandethics,
leavingthe viewers toface theirownconceptionsof these ideas. Thismoviesimplyoffersa
thinkingpadanddaresthe audience tostartformingtheirtheories.
Whenit came to the plot anddevelopments, the movie usedbehavioursrather than
dialoguesto establishcharacter and reveal the plot.Plus,anastonishingfactwasthere was
minimal backgroundmusic.Andyetsurprisinglythismovie isable to deliverall the
emotions.
The movie issimple.The movie hasbrilliantactors.The movie hasamazingdirectorsandthe
movie will make youthink.NoCountryforOldMen,inmy opinion,isamasterpiece.A very
commendable jobbythe directors,worthyperformancesbyBardemandBrolin anda
breath-takingcinematographysupportsthe intense andpowerful message the filmintended
to deliver.
What canyou expect?
The story’s intentionisto throw the people offtheir seatsand not show themwhat they
came for. Instead,the audience will witnessastrongongoingconflictbetweenthe
antagonistandthe protagonist. Youwill wonder inthe end,whom to support.
Moreover,italsowishedtopointitout to the audience bythe monologue atthe beginning
and the endthat the worldisnot whatit had been. Nocountry for Old mensimply talks
about growing in life and the theme will be continuous.
Thisfilmisenjoyable asitsuccessfullyisable toenchantthe viewerswithnothinglessthan
the truth and an amazinglywovenplot,alsohighlighting the importanceof moneyinthis
worldof chaos and anarchy.

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Where does the movie stand according to the Film theory?
The ideaof thissectionistoidentifythe type thisfilmbelongstosothat the readerscan
formtheiropinionsandsetexpectations. The theoryframeworkisprovidedbelow for
identifyingthe elementsof the film:
Figure 4 Elements of Film Theory; Credit: NoFilmSchool
Elementsof “NoCountryforOldMen”
1. Type of film:Thismovie fallsunderClassical Thrillerformat.More towardsNeoclassical.
2. Shots:Combinationof all.MajorlyrelyingonMediumshot,Full Shot,andOverthe
Shouldershot
3. Angle:Combinationof all
4. Lighting:LowKeylighting
5. Colour:De-Saturated

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6. Sound:Mix of bothDiegeticandNon-diegetic.LessemphasisonBackgroundscore
7. Editing:Thematic
8. Mis-En-Scene:Combinationof all
You can expectthis movie to delivera feel ofthe 80s with Dramatic, thrillerelements.
Learnings from the film
Storytelling is an art
The film simply works by allowing us to connect the dots and inviting us to
participate in the storytelling as discussed before. It made the story far more
than the usual cat-and-mouse game we've seen play out a thousand times.
When I was able to infer information, whether it's about characters through their
behaviour or plot and meaning through subtlety, the results were invariably
more satisfying.
Chance
There are instancesinlife thatare notin yourhandsand in otherinstances,yougotto
make your luck.The filmpresents anexcellentamalgamationof boththe worldsand
howthingscan turn inyour favouror againstyou.
You got to upgrade
We justsimplycan’taffordtostay the same right throughoutourjourney.Whetherita
personal worldorthe professional world,the importance of the keepingupwiththe
worldwill foreverstay.Aswe have learntfromShawshankRedemptionmovie:“Get
Busyliving,orgetbusydying”
It is not always the expected that happens
You can’t reallycontrol everythinginyourlife.Andunexpectedthingscanhappen.This
movie isfull of expectedandunexpectedturnof eventsthatwill be extremelyrelatable
to all formsof life.
Who really is the villain?
Once you start seeingthe film,avillainwouldbe quite apparentrightfromthe start.But
will he reallybe the villain?Thismoviehaspushedmythinkingandhelpedme

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understandingthatitisn’tjustaboutour acts that makesusheroes/villains.Itis more
aboutour beliefsandwhetherwe have integrityandgutstomove on withthe world.
Favourite Character
Anton Chigurh
Figure 5 “If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?” – Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men
I do notwant to reveal muchaboutwhathe doesinthe filmbutJavierBardemhas done an
amazingjobin portrayingarguablythe bestthrillermovie characterinthe recenttimes.
Have a lookat the followingclipfromthe movie whichmightpique some interest.Thisclip
showsthe terrifying,complex nature of Antonandleavesyouslightlyuncomfortablebut
that wasthe whole goal of the scene.Ittoyedwiththe audience bygivingthemthe feel
aboutthe character: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqMdQBox15s&t=66s
Figure 6 Still from the film

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Takeaways from Anton Chigurh character:
a) No holdbacks
AntonChigurhis absolutely crazyandfearless.He verywellknows thathe hasto go
beyondthe conventional limitstoachieve whathe wants.He threatensand intimidates
histargets,but inan absolute coldandcalculatedmanner. Here the majorlearningwas
at timesaggressivenessworksbetterthanbeinginadefensive positionall the time.
b) LearningfromMistakes
AntonChigurhisa man of principles andvalues. Idon’tthinkhe knowsthe definitionof
moralityandethics,buthe has some strictrulesfor himself whichhe followsreligiously.
That’s whatwe all needtodo. In case we falter,we needtoanalyse where we went
wrongand go back to the basics.
c) Curse of Multiple Choices
Chigurhfirmly believedthatif youhave multiple choiceswithyou,chancesof being
confusedincreasesabithigher.So,inorderto decide anyperson’sfate, he alwaysdoes
a coin toss. The audience islettobelieve that the coindetermineshisnextaction.
Narrowingdownthe alternativestocome tothe final conclusionisextremelyimportant
inreal life
d) StrategicThinking
Preparationis a keyto success.AntonChigurhis a brutal force,buthe majorly knowsthe
importance of takingcalculatedrisksinordertosucceedinhismissions.He takeshis
owntime developingstrategiesandfindingresourcestoexecute hisplans. Magically,he
evensurvivedfatal encountersdue tohisforesightednessandzeal toachieve hisgoals.
e) KeepingCalm
You will alwaysfindaquestioninyourmindwhilewatchingthe movie: WhyChigurhis
the bestin whathe does?Because he alwaysmaintainshiscalmevenwiththe oddsare
againsthim. He knowshowimportantitisto resisttemptationandstayfocusedon
achievinghisgoals.

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Business Learnings:
Followingwerethe businesslearningsthatIwas able to come up withwhenIstarted
workingonthe assignment:
1. We are oftenengagedin thoughtcycles thatare dangerous,repeatingthe oldmistakes
overand overto avoid goingbeyondourcomfortzone. We needobjectivity. Ittakesa
small amountof objectivity tobreakthispattern,torealize thatthe rulesthatwe’ve
establishedtogovernourpersonal and/orbusinessdecisionsmayleadto afailure.For
instance,if anycompany’s marketingcampaignsare continually generatinglacklustre
results,orour businessdecisionskeependingincomplete catastrophe,itmaybe time
to take a stepbackand analyse the “rules”we usedtomake businessdecisions.
2. The consumermarketis an immense unstoppable force:itisalwayschanging.We must
remainfluidandbe readyto adaptat a moment’snotice.We don’thave tocompletely
compromise yourcore valuesandideas,butwe mustbe able to adapt to an ever-
evolvingmarketplace.
3. Findingasweetspotbetweenbeingaggressiveandbeingdefensiveincase of business
scenarios
Mind Map
Please refertothe URL for the mindmap: https://mm.tt/1795644267?t=Vi5T1MAe0o
Movie:NoCountryfor OldMen
Whydo I recommendthis?
BrilliantActorsandDirectorscombo
RaisesQuestionsthanmerelyanswering
Notjust dependentondialogues,usesbehaviourstoputacross the message
Forcesa viewertothink.A breathof freshairin the seaof conventional films
My Learnings
Storytellingisanart
Upgrade isimportantinlife
Importance of chancesin life
Expectingthe unexpected
Favourite movie Character
AntonChigurh

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BusinessLearnings
Come out of the comfort zone whenrequired
Notcompromisingcore values
AggressivenessvsBeingDefense minded;Whentofollow what
Ratings and Accolades
IMDB: 8.1/10; RottenTomatoes:93%
Won 76 awardsfrom 109 nominations;Including4AcademyAwards
What can you expect?
Thrill,mysteryandviolence
Adventure
Breathe of freshair inacting andfilmmaking
Changingof the definitionof AntagonistandProtagonist
Whoshould watch this?
If you like thrillers,are acceptable tooccasional violence andlove unconventionalmovieswith
openendings
Figure 7 Mind Map (Blurred) Kindly refer to the link above or the above contents
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