HOW TO DECONSTRUCT A MOVIE
You will need a pen / pencil and plenty of paper for this. Also, with many films, particularly Hollywood formula films, you may not find any hidden themes beyond the surface narrative.
FIRST VIEWING
Get a general feel for the film and identify the basic story structure. Write down roughly what happens, to whom, by whom and in what order.
Formulate some basic questions about the narrative. Identify gaps, contradictions and unexplained aspects of the story.
SECOND VIEWING
Break the film down into its symbolic structure. Watch the film in its entirety and write down on a scene by scene basis anything unusual that is happening – cryptic pieces of dialogue, strange visual compositions, unusual use of music and sound, bizarre props etc.
After making this list, which can be dozens of pages long, glance over all the written observations and pay attention for frequently recurrent patterns. You want to identify patterns / themes that would be highly unlikely to occur by accident during the film making process.
At this point should have a good general idea of any subliminal themes that have been weaved into the film. Many of the observations you have made about the symbolic structure will make more sense.
Go back over your notes on the films symbolic structure and mark out for further attention anything that remains unexplained.
THIRD VIEWING
Watch the film again, bearing in mind the subliminal themes you have already identified. Look for further evidence that both supports and contradicts those themes. Also look for further symbols and aspects of narrative that help to make sense of anything that you had marked out as unexplained.
FURTHER RESEARCH
Research the personal and professional histories of the key players involved in the creation of the film. Identify recurring themes in their other film projects. Identify who / where the funding for the project came from and research those sources. Read other reviews and articles on the film to see if anybody else can explain aspects of the film that you could not decipher. Research the marketing campaigns that were used to promote the film.
Cross reference all of this research with the notes you made during your viewings of the film