Character representation analysis

Our main character is Sophie, a 14-year-old girl who suffers from depression. To deal with her emotions, Sophie has turned to self-harm to distract from the emotional pain of her life. She is representative of the depressed, and is used to demonstrate the cost of leaving illnesses such as this untreated. Throughout the film, the audience would see Sophie getting worse and worse, leading to tragic consequences.

Sophie's father is an irritable, easily angered character. He is unsure of how best to handle his daughter, and is infuriated by his lack of control. He cares about his family but expects everything to run smoothly and can't understand when it doesn't. He retreats to anger when things don't work, rather than sitting down and talking them through. He represents the people who don't understand, or make any real attempt to understand, the seriousness of depression.

Sophie's mother is a quiet, gentle woman who isn't really sure what's going on. She understands her husband's anger, and sides with him in most arguments, but tries to keep the peace, and is incapable of shouting. She is representative of the people who aren't aware of what's going on, and don't see the obvious when it's happening right in front of them.