1.Introduction

Eat, Pray, Love is a film adapted from Elizabeth Gilbert's autobiography of the same name. It tells the story of the protagonist Liz, who travels to Italy, India, and Bali to find her identity, pursue inner balance, and finally reconcile with herself and find happiness in life after her marriage breaks down [1]. Although the film has been hailed for its inspirational themes and cross-cultural experiences, many studies have explored its themes and character development, such as Bhatia's analysis in The Divergence in Narrative from a Memoir to a Film: Understanding Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love and Kristyowati's analysis in Story Formula and Feminist Ideology in Eat, Pray, Love Novel, there is still a lack of systematic analysis of how its narrative structure expresses and deepens emotional experience through the camera language [2][3]. Specifically, from a structuralist perspective, there has been insufficient attention given to the use of binary opposition techniques to reveal how the film depicts Liz's personal emotional changes through the narrative of different chapters [4]. This paper uses qualitative analysis to explore how the narrative structure of Eat, Pray, Love combines visual and narrative techniques to express and enhance the emotional expression of the characters. This paper will analyse the three chapters of Italy, India and Bali to reveal how the film shows Liz's transformation from external pursuit to inner enlightenment through the binary oppositions in structuralist theory, such as the opposition between worldly happiness and spiritual peace. At the same time, this paper will analyse how the film conveys Liz's inner changes and emotional growth through camera angles, colour use and composition techniques. Through an in-depth analysis of the narrative structure and emotional expression of Eat, Pray, Love, this paper mainly studies how the binary opposition in structuralist theory runs through the film. The study's summary results will enhance the demonstration of how lens language can effectively enhance narrative and emotional expression, while also providing empirical examples and theoretical support for future film analysis.

2.Theoretical Background

Kranz and Mellerski define film adaptation as “the conversion of a printed work into another medium,” a process that can lead to new story experiences, as directors often add or subtract from the original work, strengthening visual and emotional expression. Stam points out that film adaptations are often in a “continuous vortex of intertextual references and translations,” suggesting that films may be similar or very different from the original work but have the same core functions regarding narrative structure and emotional transmission [5].

Tzvetan Todorov’s narrative structure theory proposes that characters typically go through five stages: balance, destruction, recognition, repair of damage, and reequilibrium [5]. This theory has been widely used to analyse the plot development of literary and film works. Visual methods and camera language often reinforce these narrative stages during the adaptation process. For example, in Eat, Pray, Love, the protagonist, Liz, shows her emotional and spiritual journey in different cultural contexts, which closely echoes Todorov’s narrative structure.

According to Chatman's theory, a film narrative is regarded as a series of events closely linked by cause and effect, which revolve around the goals, relationships and growth of the characters. He specifically emphasized the closed nature of the narrative structure, asserting that each event must have a strong connection to the overall narrative logic, and even seemingly insignificant events should demonstrate their significance in the narrative. Using Roland Barthes' classification method, Chatman further divides the events in movies into "core events" and "supporting events": core events are the key nodes that drive the story towards the climax and constitute the core structure of the narrative logic while supporting events. However, they enhance the narrative's beauty and are optional for constructing the story's logic.

According to Brian Edward Jarvis, narrative structure consists of two parts: story ("what") and discourse ("how to express"). The story contains events, actions, characters and scene settings, while the discourse focuses on how to present these story elements. By adjusting the interaction between story and discourse, the film can highlight or suppress certain narrative elements, producing different effects [6].

3.Overall Significance of Chapter Divisions

In the film Eat, Pray, Love, chapter structure is not only a display of narrative techniques; it profoundly affects the overall expression of the story and the audience's emotional experience.

The chapter division makes the narrative more intuitive, reflecting the protagonist Elizabeth Gilbert's personal growth and emotional evolution. After experiencing a failed marriage and love, she embarks on a year-long journey, staying in countries beginning with the letter "I," marking various stages of self-discovery: exploring food in Italy, praying and meditating in India, and redefining love in Indonesia [7].

The film segments Liz's journey into three parts: Italy, India, and Bali — as follows. The audience can follow her mental journey through this structure. Furthermore, the film's theme is given a step-by-step development. These segments correspond to a certain subject:

Liz's personal and cultural experiences drive the Italian chapter of Eat, Pray, Love, which focuses on appreciating life. The Italian section emphasizes how to "live a good life", beyond the material satisfaction obtained by simply "eating", but immersing oneself in the experience brought by various foods. The film depicts Liz's choice of Italy as a healing destination, where she heals her self-perceived "barren" spirit by relishing these experiences. As Septriana Ambarwati and Retno Wulandari mentioned, the Italian cultural concept of "il bel far niente" (the beauty of doing nothing) profoundly impacted her [8]. It is a cultural tradition and a symbol of her freedom from tension and stress in her pursuit of personal happiness and inner balance. Italians cherish every beautiful moment by enjoying life. Liz gradually understands and accepts this lifestyle and finally finds inner peace and satisfaction beyond material enjoyment.

In this chapter, Elizabeth gradually integrates into and profoundly understands the local culture by learning Italian, enjoying delicious food, and spending time with local people. These experiences rekindle her passion for life, symbolising the initial stage of her self-discovery and laying the foundation for subsequent spiritual and emotional exploration. All of these processes not only promote her emotional healing journey but also prompt her to gradually transform from a person who seeks external recognition to an independent individual who reshapes her self-perception entirely according to her own desires. The hedonistic experience in Italy helped her rediscover the joy of life, while the following chapter about India marked the beginning of her shift from external pursuits to inner explorations.

The Indian chapter of the film is crucial to Liz's spiritual journey as it delves into themes of religion and deep reflection. In this section, Liz struggles to find inner peace through meditation and prayer at a retreat centre while dealing with past pain and trauma, such as a breakup with her boyfriend. This experience is not only symbolic of her transformation but also marks the beginning of her spiritual awakening. Although Liz did not initially delve into a particular religion, her Indian experience prompted her to connect with a higher spiritual power, opening up a period of deep self-dialogue and exploration. Her transformation from materialistic, wilful behaviour to inner spiritual exploration symbolises her shift from pursuing external happiness to exploring the inner world. This change opened new avenues for her journey and became an essential voice in her subsequent travels. In the United States, Liz stressed about her relationships with people, which prompted her to seek ways to communicate with a higher spiritual power, reflect on herself, and express herself sincerely. Through conversations with her mentor and exploration of Hindu philosophy, she learnt to use meditation to reduce psychological stress, which not only promoted her emotional healing but also deepened her spiritual growth. This spiritual awakening and development phase was an important stepping stone in her journey and laid the foundation for her continued pursuit of inner peace in Bali.

The Bali section of the film Eat, Pray, Love delves into Liz's relationships and the importance of love in her life, revealing the complexity of these relationships. In Bali, Liz meets Philip, a man who has experienced similar emotional trauma. Their encounter provides her with emotional comfort and triggers further growth in her journey of self-discovery. Liz's experiences, especially her interactions with Philip, teach her how to love others while continuing to love herself and help her learn how to calm anxiety, resentment, and pain and get back on track in her life. This chapter is also the climax of her journey, showing how she learned to balance personal growth with interpersonal relationships while finding love and ultimately achieving harmony in life and spirit. Furthermore, this section delves into Liz's finding a balance between daily troubles and spiritual pursuits, showing how these experiences facilitated the repair of her relationships with others and deepened her personal growth, resulting in improved cooperation among family members and significant progress in everyone's development.

The setting of the chapters makes the storyline more compact and real. Dividing the main body of the story into three parts: hedonism in Italy, spiritual practice in India, and balance in Bali, each of the chapters represents a different stage of Liz's self-discovery journey. This structure makes the audience clearly follow the path and know the growth in each place.

4.Narrative Rhythm and Chapter Emotion

The Italian section of Eat, Pray, Love shows Liz's pleasure and emotional changes as she immerses herself in Italian culture and food by accelerating the narrative rhythm and film images. The film uses long shots and panoramic images to outline the rich cultural background of Italy. These vast scenes not only show the visual charm of Italy but also enhance the audience's immersion. Through rapid editing and full scenes, the film vividly shows Liz's adventures, reflecting her emotional fluctuations and passion for life.

This fast-paced editing style, with dynamic images and no narrative narration, guides the audience to project their emotions more directly into Liz's journey. The rapid picture transitions and rhythm make the audience feel the vitality of the film, strengthen the resonance of Liz's excitement and joy when exploring Italy, and further enhance the sense of participation in watching the movie [9].

Liz's experience in Italy reflects her transcendence of traditional female roles. She pursued self-enjoyment through food and cultural experiences and gradually broke the previous concept of relying on others to define her self-worth [10]. As Gilbert reflected, she realised that she used to ignore her own needs in romantic relationships, and this tendency made her exhausted. Through this journey, she re-established an independent self-identity, focussing on personal desires and happiness and no longer being bound by traditional social norms. Gilbert's journey is also a rebellion against patriarchy, and she shows the power of women in self-discovery and growth by pursuing her desires.

The Indian chapter deliberately slows down the narrative rhythm to dramatically capture Liz's domestication and internalisation process. This part extends the boundaries of time and space through meditation scenes and Liz's deep dialogue/discussion, allowing the audience to understand the protagonist's psychological and spiritual transformation. The filmmaker relies on continuous slow shots to develop this rhythm, which is Liz's mood in seclusion. Those still and slow pictures allow the audience to decompose her heart's "depth" and "softness" and feel the vastness of her inner world.

Liz's long shots, on the other hand, allow the audience to maintain credibility and emotional intensity while deeply connecting with Liz's heart — from heartbreaking anxiety to unconditional ease. This slow narrative shows Liz's psychological transformation, key events, and supporters of the record through emotions and spirit in the Indian part. At the same time, the narrative rhythm artistically interweaves the hustle and bustle of Italy with the silence of India, creating a unique, exotic atmosphere for the audience.

The film uses long shots and medium shots to show Bali's picturesque scenery and landscapes, reflecting Liz's joy from the inside out. There are close-ups of her intimacy with her lover that work well, as well as the bond she shares with him. On the one hand, the static camera angles and slow motion reflect her spiritual journey, and the tracking shots bring intimacy and movement. The rhythm and editing techniques of the Bali chapter cleverly blend the light style of Italy with the deep meditation of India, showing how Liz constantly seeks inner balance and growth while enjoying life. The fast-paced editing during the day switches to the slow pace of Ketut Liyer in the afternoon. This narrative technique not only deepens the level of the story but also allows the audience to deeply experience Liz's emotional and spiritual journey and feel the process of her finally achieving self-balance and discovering true love.

5.Conclusion

This study reveals how the chapter structure and camera language in Eat, Pray, Love work together to express emotions. The different chapters in Italy, India, and Bali present the protagonist's emotional journey in a rich and layered way through narrative and visual techniques. The study focused on key chapters and failed to fully cover the entire work, which may limit the comprehensive understanding of emotional expression. The clever design of the chapter structure and the intentional adjustment of the rhythm play a key role in conveying Liz's emotional changes and driving the development of the whole story. The different experiences in each location constitute a crucial part of her journey. Through these experiences, Liz has a profound journey both geographically and spiritually. This structural arrangement enriches the narrative content and deepens the film's emotional resonance, making Liz's story a physical journey and a profound exploration of the mind and emotions. Future research can cover all chapters and introduce a cross-cultural perspective to gain a more comprehensive understanding. Combining quantitative analysis and expanding to other works can provide a more objective and extensive perspective for the study of emotional expression.

Acknowledgement

As Tagore said, "My last tribute is to those who know I am not perfect but still love me." This sentence is exactly what I feel deep in my heart. Although I am not perfect, those who still love me and support me are my most precious wealth. This paper is the first work I have polished in a strict sense. When I first came into contact with film-related courses in graduate school, I realised that I had missed many excellent films before. This time, I chose to write "Eat, Pray, Love" because I have always believed in and supported the display and voice of women's power. However, the beautiful night before the topic was a time of confusion and torment. My student days are about to end. Looking back on my six years as an international student in Sydney, I see that it almost ran through my adolescence. International students, in the eyes of others, seem to be a symbol of "perfection" and "richness," but only we know what loneliness tastes like. Despite this, I am still grateful for the land of Sydney, which has given me unique opportunities and experiences and allowed me to continue to grow. I also want to thank my school, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). This school, which was once not favoured by agents, has become more and more vibrant and full of possibilities with the participation of more and more international students.