The cinematic medium has no limits, showcasing endearing characters, a captivating story and being able to manipulate the emotions of an audience towards a specific theme explored, to the point where we as an audience are aware of the manipulation in the film. This is seen in Marc Forster's "Stranger Than Fiction", where he incorporates cinematic language and techniques into the film to engage and manipulate the audience's emotions towards the key theme of fate or free will. In the opening scene, we are introduced to "the story of a man named Harold Crick and his wristwatch", through narration, confirming that the protagonist, Harold, is in a narrative, unknowingly part of a chain of events, thus establishing his character as a symbol of destiny. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay The motif of duty and routine, symbolized by Harold's wristwatch, is presented through a close-up, with the watch sitting on Harold's bedside table. . “Every day of the week, for twelve years, Harold brushed each of his thirty-two teeth, seventy-six times,” portrays Harold's life as being ruled by routine and manipulates us, as the audience, to that he feels sympathy towards his character. The depiction of an uneventful life through the importance of numbers is conveyed through an over-the-shoulder shot, where we see him flipping through a magazine on calculators, and through the use of Numerical and mathematical images showing patterns, mathematics, ratios, etc. shows Harold's thought process and manipulates the audience into feeling discouraged by his life ruled by numbers, routine, and destiny. Finally, Harold is revealed to be "living a life of solitude." He walked home alone, he ate alone, and at eleven-thirteen sharp every evening, Harold went to bed alone. This again manipulates the audience into feeling sympathy for Harold, having been presented as a symbol of destiny with no real purpose in life outside of his job, numbers, and routine. The opposite of Harold and Destiny is introduced in a subsequent scene as Ana Pascal. , who is presented as a symbol of free will through her charitable and independent nature, her social conscience and, above all, her profession as a baker, her pastries and cookies being a symbol of love. In her introduction, she is audited by Harold, not paying her taxes due to his personal beliefs, and immediately the two characters are depicted as polar opposites. His aggressive nature towards Harold is manifested through his angry cries of "Taxman", showing his disgust towards the government and hierarchy. Her rebellious views toward taxes and spending on the military are clear when she says, “I didn't steal from the government; I just haven't paid you in full. Harold says she can't "not pay her taxes," but Ana simply responds, "Yes, I can." Her opinions are expressed most forcefully when Harold asks her if she is part of an anarchist group, asking, "Do anarchists have a group?" Do they stick together? Doesn't that completely defeat the purpose. This use of dialogue, rhetorical questions, and irony compares the government to an anarchist group and shows Ana's personal views. Forster's characterization of Ana immediately manipulates the audience into liking her due to her independent, fun, and friendly personality, while still being able to connect with the general audience in terms of..