Semiotic Analysis

Trailer: Less Is Now

There is an American documentary currently available on Netflix, called Less is Now. It was created by two minimalists who share their stories of becoming people who strive to live with less things in their lives and why the transformation has been crucial to improving their lives. Both creators grew up in poverty and remember their childhood feeling out of control as they were raised by single parents who struggled with substance abuse. Their lives also felt out of control because of the stuff they accumulated into their homes. Because they were poor, when people offered them items like furniture, kitchen gadgets, or clothes, they would accept it and which filled up their homes with clutter and essentially garbage.

As adults they went to work for corporate America with jobs that paid a lot of money so they could rise above poverty. They wanted the opposite of what they had growing up with a life with big houses, luxury vehicles, and expensive furniture thinking that would bring them more control. From the outside looking in, they had it all. But, to their surprise, it did not bring them the peace they had sought after. However vibrant this lifestyle appeared to others, it ended up feeling empty creating a void within the soul where intimacy and relationships should be, it was masked by the brands they wore and the stuff they had owned.

I enjoyed watching the transformation they experienced as they got rid of the fancy lives and replaced them with purpose and meaning. I want to address the different signs that I saw throughout the show.

-         $ T A T U $  &  W E A L T H  - Symbolic Signs

“Baby you can drive my car!”  -The Beatles

I saw in the video were the symbols that represent wealth that we interpret as happiness as Americans.  The high paying job, the large and spacious home, and the luxury vehicles. We have assigned these types of assets to mean a person has status and wealth. And if they have status and wealth, then they must be happy! They can buy whatever they want, they can travel wherever they’d like and live the American Dream!  

- M O O D - Iconic Signs

“Why you always in a mood?” – 24K Goldn & Iann Dior

Iconic Signs such as the music and the storytellers of the show, created a mellow ambiance as many other documentaries have in common. The tempo of this documentary moves slowly from beginning to end and does not rush the process of the story. Instrumental music plays along in the background along while the storytellers provide their insights that include the details of their lives.

-          S M O K E  &  F I R E – Indexical Signs

“Pressure, pushing down on me!” - Queen

The indexical signs as having all the symbolic signs of wealth could be the signs to actually mean a person is greater in debt than they appear to be. Our society is so obsessed with being accepted into society and because of advertising we think that can only be accomplished by having bigger and better things to elevate our status. Dave Ramsey, the author of Total Money Makeover, which is a book written to help people get out of debt states, "More stuff wont make you happy." When people consume more than they are able to afford those can represent lack of intimacy and relationships in a person’s life and emotional immaturity. 

-          V A L U E S  &  B E L I E F S - Ideological Signs

“Hey Mr. Tambourine Man play a song for me, I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.”     – Bob Dylan

The ideological signs were present as they transformation took place to become minimalists. After so much emptiness and unhappiness that stemmed from living the American dream, the creators of Less is Now, made small changes each day to downsize their consumerism. Each item that they now possess has a purpose and a function in their home. They no longer store items they will do not need and drive simple cars that are bought and paid for. They both attest how they now have more time for their relationships, and their lives have been filled with more purpose now that their mindsets are less focused on their things and status and turned more inward to reflect on their own connections. 

References:

D’Avella, Matt. “Less Is Now (Official Trailer).” The Minimalists, The Minimalists, 22 Dec. 2020, www.theminimalists.com/lessisnow/.

Ramsey, Dave. The Total Money Makeover. Nelson Current, 2010.