Desolate
In the very first shot of the film, we see Rick standing in a desolate land with sand and no one beside him. We then see him walk beside a pond that is about to dry out. This imagery clearly conveys Rick’s problem of being lost in a barren land. It displays the coming issue that we will be introduced to about Rick as a character.
Son
The film consists of a narrator talking about a prince that lost his memories because he went to a land where they made him drink something that made him lose his memories. This narration and the imagery of Rick drinking and going on empty rooftops connects the prince character, that the narrator is talking about, to Rick.
Pearl Catcher
The narrator states how the prince, who has lost his memories, is now unable to look for the pearl. Rick represents the prince in the film. And we see him living a haphazard life. Signifying how he truly is unable to catch the “pearl”. Later, we see a dog jumping in the water time and again trying to catch a toy. But each time the dog fails to catch the toy. This imagery references the fact of how Rick is unable to catch the pearl, unable to catch his self or real love.
Drowning Sun
As the movie progresses, we see Rick’s life going more into chaos. We see him feeling lost, untethered to his surroundings. Rick is shown just wandering around through his life quietly. Unable to connect with anyone. After the tower title, we are shown a shot of a card sinking underwater. This represents the ray of hope of finding meaning fading away from Rick’s life.
