“David, you risked everything for Elise, and Elise when you came through that door at the Statue of Liberty you risked everything too.” (Harry, adjustment officer.) In the movie “The Adjustment Bureau” directed by George Nolfi the idea of only getting free will if you fight for it is communicated through the use of multiple film techniques. This is shown during the ending scene through lighting, dialogue and music/sound. Until this final scene the audience doesn’t know whether or not they will be granted what they have been fighting for or not.

The film “The Adjustment Bureau” explores the idea of free will. The idea of free will has been debated all throughout human history as to whether we have it or not. These debates have mainly taken place in either religious communities (where the argument would either be that the god / gods fully control our destiny or that we have free will and that they sometimes come in to change things) or scientific communities (where the argument would be that time is a continuum and we are somewhere on it but the future has already happened and this is just sort of a replay or that the future hasn’t happened and we can do whatever we want). This film contemplates the idea that we all do have free will but that we have to learn to control it or else it will destroy us. In this film the adjustment bureau represents the instruments of control we already have above us in our everyday lives (like the government) but on a much more extreme level.

In the movie “The Adjustment Bureau” the idea of only getting free will if you fight for it is communicated during the final scene of the movie through the use of lighting. The scene starts out all dark and moody but then as soon as the adjust police people leave the sun comes out and it gets all light and bright and happy and sunny. The sun coming up represents the beginning of a new life for them after they have finally completed their quest, it also represents their fight for freedom finally ending and them being rewarded with what they had been fighting for. When the clouds are out it feels like you can’t see where you are going and you can’t steer yourself but then when the clouds clear and the sun comes out you can see and everything suddenly becomes clear.

In the movie “The Adjustment Bureau” the idea of only getting free will if you fight for it is communicated during the final scene of the movie through dialogue. The scene starts out with Thompson telling David and Elise that they cannot be together because of what he had already told them. “It doesn’t work like that,” he says. Then along comes Harry and tells them that it’s all just a test for everybody and that their love is “a serious deviation from the plan” but that they had inspired the Chairman by risking everything for each other and that they had been rewarded for this by gaining free will. They had been told before that they had deviated from the plan and they are being told it again by Harry when to everyone’s surprise he says that this deviation has actually worked and that they have gotten the thing they wanted. This comes as a “surprise” for the audience as we expect them from previous encounters with the adjustment bureau to be punished for this.

In the movie “The Adjustment Bureau” the idea of only getting free will if you fight for it is communicated during the final scene of the movie through music/sound. The scene starts out with the music being all sad and slow, then as soon as Thompson gets the message from Harry it shifts up into a much happier uplifting tone. This represents all their effort finally paying off with them then getting a free path to take. There is also a low dramatic tone just before Harry pulls out his book to show them the new plan, this builds tension and anticipation just before the big reveal as the audience wonders whether they will get it or not?

In conclusion, in the movie “The Adjustment Bureau” directed by George Nolfi the film techniques lighting, dialogue and music/sound work together to show us that you will only get free will if you fight for it. This will inspire the audience to fight against the establishment, believe in their own power to make change and not give in without questioning those in power. It is made to show people how free will is a gift and that they must use it correctly and treat is as one if they want to benefit from it.