Oscars final designs - Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea was a real challenge for me to illustrate because, as a film, it deals with some very adult and intangible concepts, such as grieving, responsibility and sacrifice. Casey Affleck's character finds himself having to step up and take care of his recently deceased brother's son, and overhaul his life in favour of the teenager. It asks the audience the question of what it means to love someone selflessly, and put a whole other person ahead of yourself.
The way I visualised this was by using clouds encroaching on the characters frame, to show his life is being overtaken and changed, but in a way that is ultimately for the best and will benefit his family the most. There is an acceptance of his responsibility, so I wanted to use contrasting, but calm colours to represent this knowledge. I placed the figure away from the centre to communicate his initial hesitation and unwillingness to take on his responsibility, and behind a gate to suggest the emotional hurdles he's yet to overcome.
The final outcome of this piece is heavily dependent on metaphors and thematic composition, both elements I haven't always had to consider in my work. I'm really enjoying engaging with the content I'm creating on a much deeper level, it feels more engaging and really beneficial to my own development and understanding my practice and where it's headed.