When we go to see a film, whether its alone or with friends, we typically talk about it in greater detail among one another after it has finished. Usually doing so allows us to gain a better understanding of what was presented to us not to long ago. What most people don't do, is analyze the narrative within the film, where the true artistic side of the director is properly exposed. Many people don't analyze every film they watch, but in doing so, one can learn about the importance of the film as a whole as well as more about one's personal self. There are four main levels of meaning that are found in all films, some are easier to understand than others, and some lack a few completely, do to the extensive lack of attention many rookie filmmakers fail to give their story.
Referential: Referential meaning is the easiest form to understand. This is what the vast majority of people do when discussing the film after it is finished. Referential meaning refers directly to everything that was a part of the plot of the film. Some implications of the story that are revealed in the plot are discovered here as well. Think of it as describing the plot of a film to a colleague who has never seen the film before, you just explained the film's referential meaning.
Explicit: The best way to describe the explicit meaning of a film is to refer to the term as discovering the "moral of the story." This can best be explained by the characters actions and direct lines to one another in the film. We are able to relate personalities with each character and we can understand the reasoning behind the various plot points within the film. Another aspect of explicit meaning is the understanding of what drives the motives of the characters in the film and why they are doing what they are doing.
Implicit: Implicit is one of the deeper meanings of a film, in which the vast majority of people fail to analyze and understand due to focusing only on the referential and explicit meanings and only the narrative itself in the film. Implicit refers to the understanding of how the characters change throughout the film and usually require the viewer to be aware of their subjectivity and how the film makes them feel personally. A good word to help moviegoers understand this form of meaning is
metaphor. Relating the actions within the narrative, that are not explicitly told, with ideologies and issues with the real world can help the viewer grasp a true understanding of why the film truly even exists and the understanding of the actual message that the director wishes their audience will receives and understand. Much of European filmmakers take this meaning very importantly in their films, making much of the collective European cinema regarded as works of art because of the strive to make us understand our subjectivity and its relation to the objective world. Much of the cinema from the United States, or "Hollywood" as referred to the rest of the world, do not focus as hard on this meaning due to the majority of films depicting a "hero that saves the girl, defeats the bad guy, and lives happily ever after." Which we can even relate to today with the extensive amounts of reboots, superhero films, and overall small catalog of genre films.
Not saying that they aren't good, I personally enjoy them myself, and some can be regarded as "spectacle art" for sure, but I digress.
Symptomatic: Last but not least, symptomatic falls under another meaning that is overlooked by the typical moviegoer. Unlike the other three, symptomatic doesn't relate to the different meanings behind the narrative, but more towards the relation it has to our reality and why it relates to the time period in which it was filmed and released. For example, making a film about the issue of German identity or lack there of in Germany after World War II. Many Germans had no clue what their place was in society, but that inspiration fell into the filmmakers hands to present a new way of looking at the issue and proposing a solution to the German people. Or even creating a film about leadership today and how in real time it relates to the recent election of Donald Trump.
Being able to understand and consciously search for these four meanings within a film can ultimately allow the viewer to gain a better appreciation for the film as well as a more informative approach behind the directors motives when they were making the film.
