Fish Tank & WNTTAK -> Key Scenes Summarised
FISH TANK KEY SCENES:
Cinematography
• Sequence begins with a back-shot of Mia on the balcony. She is positioned centrally within the frame looking out beyond the housing estate. The back-shot builds enigma, and foreshadows her attempts to free the horse.
• The high-angle affords Mia a view of the estate, the children playing in the yard and on the balconies and highlights the idea that her opportunities in life are limited.
• Close-up shots inside the flat reinforce the idea that there is limited space for Mia, her sister and mother and this enhances their frustration and lack of communication, whilst precipitating conflict between them.
• Wide-shots of the outdoor space, where the horse is tethered, contrast with the close-up shots and angles of Mia and her sister inside their small flat, highlighting the idea of space and freedom.
• Tracking shots follow Mia as she runs away from the boys and the dog, with the hand-held camera contributing to the conflict and dramatic tension of this moment in the narrative
• Filming with the natural lighting enhances the realism of the story, its setting and characters.
• Wide-shots capturing the housing estates, almost like a postcard. This suggests the significance of the location and setting to the narrative, reinforcing the film’s overall realism.
• A back-shot of Mia’s mother Joanne near the balcony replicates a similar shot of Mia in an earlier sequence.
• During the sequence, framing alternates between two-shots of the sisters and a medium shot of Joanne, and a two-shot of Mia and Joanne, with Tyler behind her sister. These shots generate meanings about the relationship between the sisters and their mother as a struggling single parent.
• Framing of the characters effectively communicates the dynamic and conflict within this family.
• After several shots capturing Mia with Tyler and then her mother, all three are framed together through a wide-shot, thus suggesting a moment in the narrative when the family comes together.
• Lighting is natural (daytime), working effectively with the setting and the characters
Mise-en-Scène
• Mia wearing a hoody – urban dress code for youth.
• Mia’s house is untidy and cluttered, suggesting the chaos and lack of order in their lives/ Mia’s life.
• The lack of tidiness is captured when Mia goes through the drawers looking for a hammer, as an array of objects is thrown together.
• Mia’s sister Tyler has nothing more to do than watch daytime television.
• Framing Joanne by her balcony captures her frustrations and struggles as a single mum on a housing estate.
• Joanne is wearing a cardigan over her pyjamas, suggesting her low mood and inability to cope. She has been crying and her make-up is smudged.
• The image on the back wall is colourful, connoting a time and place where things may be better for Mia and her family, whilst it is also ironic.
Editing
• The long-take at the beginning suggests that Mia is reflecting on her life and opportunities when she looks out from her balcony.
• The pace of the editing quickens when she runs inside, searching for a hammer to free the horse. This adrenalin suggests her own attempts to be free from her environment and circumstances.
• Mia is gentle and compassionate when she reaches the horse and the mood and pace are sustained until the boys turn up and then there are quick cuts as Mia fights to free herself.
• The editing picks up its pace to create panic and suspense when the dog starts barking at Mia.
• A steady controlled pace of editing enables the shots to sustain the characters in the frame and show how they interact and communicate with each other.
• The balanced pace contributes to the narrative’s sense of resolution at this moment of the story
Sound
• Inside the flat, the diegetic sounds of daytime television reinforce the realism of the setting
• Diegetic sounds heighten the tension and sense of danger, when Mia fights with the boys about freeing the horse. This accumulates when the dog starts barking
• Mia’s breathing is captured as she runs away, putting the spectator in her position and turning up the tension and dramatic qualities of the sequence.
• Diegetic sound of music (Mia’s) is played by Joanne.
• This soundtrack plays a pivotal part in developing the narrative because it offers a space for the characters to communicate.
• As the music is more than background, the characters are swayed away by the harmony, trying to work with its rhythms. The pace and rhythm enables this dysfunctional family to move together, in step and tune with the music, at least momentarily.
• Sound plays a pivotal role, it becomes a narrative device
Representations
• Representations of a strong female lead. A working class female youth with limited opportunities but equally with aspirations for something more than her present circumstances.
• Mia is a rounded and complex character and therefore she goes against stereotypical representations of youth as perhaps we find in some British urban films, for example with Kidulthood.
• Fish Tank explores representations of working class life within a dysfunctional family, whilst it also shows the challenges facing a single mum like Joanne.
• Representations of male characters are also realistic and not stereotyped. Connor’s character suggests that he has positive qualities (whilst at the same time he is cheating on his partner and on Joanne).
• Regional identity is prominent through the representations of life on a housing estate on the outskirts of East London and Essex.
Aesthetics
• The film establishes a strong sense of realism and authenticity through the characters, the everyday events and situations and the significance given to settings and locations.
• The ‘look and feel’ of Fish Tank develops the visual style of realism we see in British Social Realism, the British New Wave of the 1960s and ‘kitchen sink dramas’, with the absence of gloss or glamour seen in mainstream Hollywood films.
• Fish Tank makes use of the visual styles associated with many contemporary British films within the tradition of Social Realism, including those by Ken Loach and Mike Leigh where ordinary characters and everyday settings are central to the narrative.
• The horse is a recurring motif which highlights notions of entrapment and freedom.
• The balcony in Mia’s flat is a motif which suggests the boundary between her limited world and new opportunities beyond it.
Key scenes include:
- Opening
- Mia meets Connor
- Mia attacked by Joanne
- Car scene
- Connor & Joanne's sexual relations
- Dance scene
- End scene
(from Padlet)
Opening:
POV Shot through rear window with shallow depth of field.
See Mia leaving the estate. Mia looking back smiling suggests that despite the angry personalities she attempts to admit she is thankful of her upbringing. This is clear throughout the final scene and suggests that this experience has allowed Mia to mature.
Extreme long shot showing the entire estate.
Balloon flies off into the sky. Metaphorical for Mia leaving the council estate and the atmosphere that she has grown up in.
Driving away from the estate final scene
Matches many typical overly happy Hollywood films to express the harsh reality of the real world. Commenting on the lack of realism in Hollywood films. As Mia and Billy drive off we are not assuming that Mia and Billy’s life from there will be easy and calm. Also could be seen to show how Mia leaving feels like she is someone like sandy in the end of ‘Grease’ as she has finally gotten what she wants by leaving home.
Diegetic rap music “life’s a b*tch and the you die” Hand held camera moves with Mia and Joanne
The music comments on the way that the family, particularly Joanne, feels towards life. Things tend to go against her such as Connor leaving. We see her connecting to rappers speaking about how life is bad and this could be used to make us feel sympathy for her as we see how tough her life has been for her.
Mia Meets Connor:
Costume:
Connor has come down topless From the get-go Connor is asserting his patriarchal dominance in the house. It isn’t his home yet he seems to feel comfortable enough to come down with no shirt and low cut jeans on. Mia is then introduced to this binary opposition: conflict between lover/father as soon as she meets him.
Dialogue:
Connor ‘I was enjoying it’ Continuing this conflict, we don’t know who this is and we automatically get a sense of something’s off. Potential action code: what will she respond? What did he mean by this?
Cinematography:
A medium shot of Mia watching Connor -> We see her watching him and we first start to see her interest in him; she’s intrigued
Cinematography/MES:
Close up of the people dancing on TV - The people dancing together on the TV could symbolise how Mia wants to be with Connor (Soviet Montage??)
Performance:
We see Mia’s eyes following Connor -> Again we see how intrigued she is by him, and can argue this is the first time we see her ‘follow’ him and this can be argued to be the beginning of her ‘obsession’ with him and is foreshadowing. (maybe following him to his house?) Action code: we question ourselves to what she is actually thinking?
Cinematography:
Mia POV shot She is watching him. Same as above. Role reversal of the male gaze: she is staring and watching him. Maybe a symbol of feminism?
Close up of Connor’s torso (Mia POV shot) Oedipal trajectory: somewhat of a fetishisation of Connor’s body.
Mia Watches Connor go upstairs More evidence of the female gaze. Once the scene is over we are confused about Connor’s character. In reference to Propp’s character type we are unsure as to whether he is the villain, father, helper, donor, hero, false hero
Dance Scene:
WNTTAK KEY SCENES:
Cinematography
• Seamus McGarvey shot the film but worked closely with long-time friend Ramsay, whose initial interest in filmmaking came from photography and cinematography. Both are committed to the idea that film is a cinematic medium, that it is the visual image and how it is captured that communicates narrative, and both wanted to shoot the film on celluloid in 35 mm anamorphic format.
• A fast film stock was used (Fuji 500T) to create vivid contrasts in the film’s many night time scenes. This gave McGarvey the, ‘ability to create and manipulate contrast, which was especially important in scenes when atrocities take place, and in the clapboard house at the end of the film. I wanted deep blacks and the colours to pop, while shooting in low key light without inappropriate grain’.
• In the opening sequence we see many close ups of blood-coloured images, such as in the tomato festival and Eva’s food, which foreshadows the themes of death and murder but also is a visual motif familiar from Ramsay’s other films in which she shows a fascination with the details of objects and bodies.
Mise-en-Scène
• Ramsay, McGarvey and Kinnear (co-writer) spent the month before discussing the visual grammar for the film, creating shot lists and decided on a colour palette of toned down natural hues and the dramatic use of striking red, blue and yellow primary colours. We see the dramatic use of red in the opening sequence.
• The performances of Swinton and Miller are very stylised and enigmatic in the opening and closing sequences of the film which encourage the spectator to create character meaning. We are uncertain at the end of the film how the mother and son feel towards each other. Despite their final embrace there is little display of emotional connection (which has been a motif throughout the film, Kevin even comments on this when he asks, ‘have I ever (looked happy)?’.
• The contrast between the home in which we see Eva at the beginning of the film (rundown and vandalised) is in stark contrast to the home we see her living in in the flashback at the end of the opening sequence (spacious and luxurious). This visual contrast suggests the journey that Eva has been on and creates intrigue into how, and why, her life has taken such a turn.
Editing
• Graphic matches in colour and performance between the tomato festival and Eva waking up in the opening sequence suggest thematic connections. The striking use of the colour red makes the spectator focus on the connection between Eva and the idea of blood.
• The graphic match between Eva and Kevin’s faces as they wash are discontinuous but, again, suggest a metaphorical meaning and invite the spectator to see a connection between these two characters. They not only look similar, and are washing in the same way, but they also move in the same manner, the transition between characters is seamless.
• The unedited tracking shot of Eva’s apartment allows us to see the messy and disordered state of her life at the beginning of the film. We see the evidence of drinking, unhealthy diet and drug dependency revealed one by one and then connected to Eva.
Sound
• The film opens with a sound collage of a ticking sound, some faint echoed voices and a low hum that gradually increase in pace of repetition until they culminate in a loud bang and a cut to the ecstatic voices of the festival in the next shot. It is a threatening and mysterious beginning to the film that becomes more meaningful on repeat viewings as we realise it is a ticking clock/bomb and the sound of Kevin’s victims echoing in the school gymnasium.
• There is no dialogue at all until 05:29 when Celia, ironically, sings ‘I’m getting ready for the party’. The exposition of the narrative is achieved visually and through the creative manipulation of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound effects.
• The film ends with Eva and Kevin unable to communicate any further and virtual silence. The guard tells them, fatefully, ‘Your time is up’ and we see Eva walk away in a state of shock whilst the song ‘A Mother’s Last Words to her Son’ plays. Sound is being used metaphorically again and deliberately subservient to the image, typical of Ramsay’s auteurist style.
Representations
• At the end of the film we see Kevin embrace his mother and there is a suggestion in his vocal delivery that he is about to express remorse for what he has done or find some kind of emotional attachment to his mother but his facial expression is still blank. The final shot of Kevin sees him still disengaged from any emotional connections and there is ambiguity about his character and feelings. We are unclear whether we are meant to see Kevin as a damaged child who feels remorseful and frightened or as a cold-hearted, evil killer. He represents one of the central questions of the film – is evil caused by nature or nurture?
• At the end of the film we see Eva leave Kevin after asking her unanswered question to Kevin about his motivation for the killings. Her character is as ambiguous as Kevin’s. In visiting him, seeking to understand why he did what he did and in embracing him she seems to be a loving mother despite what she has been through. Her body language, vocal delivery and facial expressions though suggest a more analytical and cerebral interest in Kevin’s motivations rather than an emotional engagement. She walks out of the prison displaying a blank and unemotional face and never looks back, perhaps it is the last time she will visit.
• If we look at the representation of the family in the film we see a dysfunctional, damaged and fractured family unit. Suggestions of this can be seen represented in the initial introduction of them as a group, principally through the use of cinematography and editing. We see Celia isolated at the breakfast bar and as she turns, we see that her eye has been damaged. We then see each family member separated into different shots. There is some suggestion of connection between Eva and Kevin as a dissolved graphic match is used between their shots. We see some connection in the father, Franklin, dancing with Celia and play-fighting with Kevin but generally the use of framing and cutting keeps them apart. Even when we see Kevin stood next to Celia their body language suggests disconnection.
Aesthetics
• Visual detail is very important in the work of Lynne Ramsay. She finds poetic meaning in the most mundane of objects and parts of the human body. A key aspect of her auteur style is to tell her stories visually, this has been a fascination of hers since her early interest in photography. We see an examination of visual detail in the opening sequence as we slowly zoom into the net curtain blowing in the wind, the series of shots showing Eva’s body at the festival and then the visual details of her current home.
• The lack of expositional dialogue in the film is a key aspect of Ramsay’s auteur signature and adds to the ‘quiet’, brooding aesthetic style. This can be seen very clearly in the opening sequence where there is no dialogue for the first five minutes of the film. When we do hear dialogue it is incidental rather than expositional, this is an important aspect of the film as it forces us to seek meaning in the visual storytelling.
• The use of graphic matches to connect ideas and characters rather than for continuity is an important aspect of the film’s aesthetic style. In the opening sequence we see graphic matches made between objects and settings that are coloured red which help to signify blood, death and danger which become crucial themes as the film progresses. We also see the use of graphic matching and graphic discontinuity between characters to suggest their relationships. We see a dissolve and graphic match between Kevin and Eva when the family is introduced. There seems to be a meaningful connection between them in the way in which the shots match in terms of framing, setting, shot type as well as in the mise-en-scène, both mother and son look surprisingly alike.
The Supermarket Scene: (23:00)
Sound:
- Muzak -> flow of diegetic muzak (piped music) is synchronised to speed of Eva's walk -> Greensleeves (lullaby-esque, assoc. w/childhood) -> ironic, isolates Eva from society, contrapuntal to the scene
- Diegetic sound of trolly wheels over music -> about consumerism, buying
- Crunching of egg shells -> hyperrealistic -> white noise in background has hallucinogenic quality; Eva reminiscing
- Non-diegetic dialogue - mirrors Eva's internal thoughts & Franklin's echo-ic voice, talking to Kevin, sinister & soothing at the same time, phantasmagorical (dreamlike), lullaby like, envies Franklin as he's dead at this point
- Sound bridge at the end of the scene with Eva's non-diegetic words to Kevin ('mommy')
Mise-en-scene:
- Costume: long raincoat - acts as a disguise, originally makes her fit in but then makes her stand out. She's an outsider, marginalised -> dressed differently from others, drab colour - shifts focus from her clothing, she doesn't car what she looks like.
Narrative Features & ideological analysis: In terms of representation of women, it hides her feminine physique - disguises her womanhood from society -> deliberately goes against the male gaze
- High-key lighting highlights the colour of her skin, her paleness - Association of eggs = fertility/conception/birth, 'there all broken' -> a indirect comment on the broken state of her motherhood & her fertility. Idea other mother lost her egg with cut to the next scene
- This scene directly parallels to the lychee scene and the egg eating relates to Kevin biting his nails in the prison scene
Editing:
- The use of editing of the other character in the background conveys the other woman broke the eggs -> editing technique of intercutting between present and flashback, whilst remembering the shooting -> the cuts get a lot quicker
- Stretcher: slow motion used & fast cutting
- The Kuleshov effect: the broken eggs, know what Eva's feeling in the present -> know about it through the backgrounds, provides egg eating with meaning
- Pacing - slow & tense, when showing flashback cutting is a lot faster, flashbacks answer as action codes, allievates the tension as most tense when in the present, flashbacks chaotic (can use personal argument to cover own opinion whether it gets tenser in flashback or the present is more tense).
- The fast editing cut to the mother crying over her child being carried out of the attack on the stretcher gives the audience the information as to why she broke the eggs
- Constant flashbacks -> lots of shots of the mother and focuses on nature, set up persistent enigma code, gradual reveal of information
Kevin's conception to birth: (13:36-19:57)
- Dark lighting during sex scene. Also red lighting, foreshadows the danger and consequences of this scene and Kevin's birth. The alarm clock writing (12am) is also in red writing which gives further connotations of the danger that Kevin will bring. The flashing of the alarm once again represents the danger of Kevin -> used throughout film
- The cells -> relevancy? -> division, replicating, intercut with a photocopier, Eva sees it as no miracle, mytosis
- Visual signs of Eva struggling with motherhood before Kevin was born: looks at her body and presents she feels uncomfortable with it, it's Franklin that puts up the baby's chair and is excited whilst Eva has a nondescript reaction to it (non diegetic not diegetic) -> dreaminess
- The song (Ham & Eggs?) -> use of eggs foreshadows later events in the film, how her 'egg' (Kevin) turned out bad and her state of routine & nothingness after the school shooting
- Between Kevin's conception & birth, the film flashes forward to Eva driving to and entering the prison, and a quick cut to the school shooting. Eva passes a red tree which connotes her guilt & Kevin's danger and the cut to the school shooting sets up the use of enigma codes to the audience as information about the film is gradually revealed but the audience are still in the dark at this point as to how the school massacre links to the plot of the film. This is gradually built up during this scene as a couple of minutes later, Eva is shown visiting Kevin in prison which foreshadows his dark future to the audience. However the silence between Eva & Kevin keeps the audience in the dark about their relationship & what happened. When Eva walks out, someone being arrested screams out 'I didn't do nothing' which could be a link between Eva & Kevin's relationship as Eva's lack of maternal instinct led to Kevin going to extreme measures to get his mother's attention as he felt she never noticed him.
- Eva presented as feeling uncomfortable in the scene where all the other pregnant mothers are talking. Eva stays silent & walks out. -> mise-en-scene
- Kids run past Eva screaming straight after -> she slows down until they're gone, shows how she's struggling to cope with the pressure of the noise of kids -> reminiscent of prison corridor, considers pregnancy to be a prison
- The second prison scene goes directly into Eva going into labour through the use of a white light -> significance of this> -> feels imprisoned giving birth, being 'pinned down' by nurses -> 'stop resisting' -> reflection in domed light, upside down -> shows her life is gonna go upside down, blurry haze + very distorted & warped, finds this almost unnatural
- After the baby is born, the audience are visually shown that Eva is physically detached from her child. Franklin cuddles the baby whereas Eva is centre middle and just staring forwards & not even paying attention to her child. She ignores the diegetic sound of Kevin crying which shows that she is unresponsive to Kevin's needs -> blue hat of Kevin matching Franklin's shirt - disconnect between Eva and the family -> Eva blends in to the wall -> never see Eva breastfeeding at all, still ignoring Kevin's needs -> one of the only scenes without absence of red -> lighting on her arm looks like a cast, very very ill
Eva gets to the school after the incident: (1:30-1:33:10)
- When Eva is driving to the school, it flash forwards to her imagination of how Kevin committed the massacre
- Diegetic sounds of screaming and police sirens when she drives up to the school, creates fear and tension in the audience even though they know how this scene will play out as the flashbacks throughout the film gradually reveals that Kevin is behind the attack
- The red light flashing on Eva's face -> represents the guilt she's about to feel. The red light throughout the scene represents the bloodshed from the massacre
- Eva steps forward after the realisation that the product Kevin brought was holding the doors together closed so she realises Kevin is behind the attack. She's still as she goes forward whilst the facial expressions of the parents behind her look scared and screaming non-dietetically.
- The screaming represents the atmosphere of the school, close-ups of characters shown screaming & crying, presents how many people Kevin's actions have affected
- The police arrest Kevin and he turns around to look back when he's taken away
Other key scenes:
The tomato scene
Eva breaking Kevin's arm
The Christmas Party
The end scene
Blood on Eva's hands:
- Red is a prevalent colour in mise en scene
- From the religious ecstasy of La Tomatina Festival in the opening scene, to Eva constantly scraping red paint off her house & even in mudane household objects, there's hardly a frame without red in it
- Ironically despite the horrifying events in the film, barely any blood is shown -> a characteristic shared with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Look for: notable red items or objects seen throughout & the effect they have. Also look for what red signifies and others film red is important include Don't Look Now, Schindler's List & The Sixth Sense -> what thematic importance does red have in these films?
Martyrdom -> crucifixion imagery throughout the film
Washing the hands constantly -> relates to Lady Macbeth, trying to wash away the guilt, literally having blood on her hands
Cinematography
• Sequence begins with a back-shot of Mia on the balcony. She is positioned centrally within the frame looking out beyond the housing estate. The back-shot builds enigma, and foreshadows her attempts to free the horse.
• The high-angle affords Mia a view of the estate, the children playing in the yard and on the balconies and highlights the idea that her opportunities in life are limited.
• Close-up shots inside the flat reinforce the idea that there is limited space for Mia, her sister and mother and this enhances their frustration and lack of communication, whilst precipitating conflict between them.
• Wide-shots of the outdoor space, where the horse is tethered, contrast with the close-up shots and angles of Mia and her sister inside their small flat, highlighting the idea of space and freedom.
• Tracking shots follow Mia as she runs away from the boys and the dog, with the hand-held camera contributing to the conflict and dramatic tension of this moment in the narrative
• Filming with the natural lighting enhances the realism of the story, its setting and characters.
• Wide-shots capturing the housing estates, almost like a postcard. This suggests the significance of the location and setting to the narrative, reinforcing the film’s overall realism.
• A back-shot of Mia’s mother Joanne near the balcony replicates a similar shot of Mia in an earlier sequence.
• During the sequence, framing alternates between two-shots of the sisters and a medium shot of Joanne, and a two-shot of Mia and Joanne, with Tyler behind her sister. These shots generate meanings about the relationship between the sisters and their mother as a struggling single parent.
• Framing of the characters effectively communicates the dynamic and conflict within this family.
• After several shots capturing Mia with Tyler and then her mother, all three are framed together through a wide-shot, thus suggesting a moment in the narrative when the family comes together.
• Lighting is natural (daytime), working effectively with the setting and the characters
Mise-en-Scène
• Mia wearing a hoody – urban dress code for youth.
• Mia’s house is untidy and cluttered, suggesting the chaos and lack of order in their lives/ Mia’s life.
• The lack of tidiness is captured when Mia goes through the drawers looking for a hammer, as an array of objects is thrown together.
• Mia’s sister Tyler has nothing more to do than watch daytime television.
• Framing Joanne by her balcony captures her frustrations and struggles as a single mum on a housing estate.
• Joanne is wearing a cardigan over her pyjamas, suggesting her low mood and inability to cope. She has been crying and her make-up is smudged.
• The image on the back wall is colourful, connoting a time and place where things may be better for Mia and her family, whilst it is also ironic.
Editing
• The long-take at the beginning suggests that Mia is reflecting on her life and opportunities when she looks out from her balcony.
• The pace of the editing quickens when she runs inside, searching for a hammer to free the horse. This adrenalin suggests her own attempts to be free from her environment and circumstances.
• Mia is gentle and compassionate when she reaches the horse and the mood and pace are sustained until the boys turn up and then there are quick cuts as Mia fights to free herself.
• The editing picks up its pace to create panic and suspense when the dog starts barking at Mia.
• A steady controlled pace of editing enables the shots to sustain the characters in the frame and show how they interact and communicate with each other.
• The balanced pace contributes to the narrative’s sense of resolution at this moment of the story
Sound
• Inside the flat, the diegetic sounds of daytime television reinforce the realism of the setting
• Diegetic sounds heighten the tension and sense of danger, when Mia fights with the boys about freeing the horse. This accumulates when the dog starts barking
• Mia’s breathing is captured as she runs away, putting the spectator in her position and turning up the tension and dramatic qualities of the sequence.
• Diegetic sound of music (Mia’s) is played by Joanne.
• This soundtrack plays a pivotal part in developing the narrative because it offers a space for the characters to communicate.
• As the music is more than background, the characters are swayed away by the harmony, trying to work with its rhythms. The pace and rhythm enables this dysfunctional family to move together, in step and tune with the music, at least momentarily.
• Sound plays a pivotal role, it becomes a narrative device
Representations
• Representations of a strong female lead. A working class female youth with limited opportunities but equally with aspirations for something more than her present circumstances.
• Mia is a rounded and complex character and therefore she goes against stereotypical representations of youth as perhaps we find in some British urban films, for example with Kidulthood.
• Fish Tank explores representations of working class life within a dysfunctional family, whilst it also shows the challenges facing a single mum like Joanne.
• Representations of male characters are also realistic and not stereotyped. Connor’s character suggests that he has positive qualities (whilst at the same time he is cheating on his partner and on Joanne).
• Regional identity is prominent through the representations of life on a housing estate on the outskirts of East London and Essex.
Aesthetics
• The film establishes a strong sense of realism and authenticity through the characters, the everyday events and situations and the significance given to settings and locations.
• The ‘look and feel’ of Fish Tank develops the visual style of realism we see in British Social Realism, the British New Wave of the 1960s and ‘kitchen sink dramas’, with the absence of gloss or glamour seen in mainstream Hollywood films.
• Fish Tank makes use of the visual styles associated with many contemporary British films within the tradition of Social Realism, including those by Ken Loach and Mike Leigh where ordinary characters and everyday settings are central to the narrative.
• The horse is a recurring motif which highlights notions of entrapment and freedom.
• The balcony in Mia’s flat is a motif which suggests the boundary between her limited world and new opportunities beyond it.
Mia & Connor Sex Scene
Lighting -> golden low-key lighting – use of
chiaroscuro
- When they have sex, the lighting is golden – however, when Connor
leaves, he goes into the darkened hallway – as if the room where they have sex
is part of fantasy/the subconscious – when he leaves, he leaves the fantasy
behind – she wakes the next morning with raw, unfiltered natural lighting
flooding through the window – the dream is over. The lighting represents the
Freudian ‘uncanny’ – both familiar but strangely alien
- Lighting connotes warmth and security – Mia feels comfortable with
Connor
- Lighting also parallels/matches the scene in which Connor takes Mia to
bed – also has a fantastical/phantasmagorical feel to it
- Lighting has connotations of stagelights – Mia performs her dance
routine for Connor – this is paralleled later when she performs in front of Val
at the audition – Connor tells Mia she looks nice with her hair down; Val asks
that she also puts it down during the audition – therefore, Mia’s dancing here
is akin to a lap dance.
Cinematography (close up of Mia drinking vodka, Extreme
close up of Mia’s mouth/hands/feet during scene)
- She is repulsed by it – binary opposition between her innocence and
vulnerability, and the persona/role she attempts to fulfil throughout the film
– on the threshold between childhood and adulthood
- This represents fragmentation of Mia’s body – an over-investment in
parts of the female body – in this way, Mia becomes commodified as a whole,
unified body – however, these body parts are not the standard eroticised
female body parts (thighs, breasts, midriff etc.) – rather, they also symbolise
her vulnerability – none more so than her foot/ankle which still bears the
grazes of her trip to the river – Connor himself patched up her injuries in a
paternal way
- The lack of nudity is deliberate by Arnold – it is not exploitative and
not intended to arouse scopophilia. Instead, there is a feeling that Connor is
simply using Mia for his own sexual gratification – for the spectator, the
response is one of uncomfortable trespass
Sound: (Lack of non-diegetic sound during scene)
- Adds to the feeling of discomfort – the spectator has no auditory
signals signposting their response – therefore, we are left feeling intrusive
and uncomfortable – exaggerates, within the silence, the heavy breathing, gasps
etc.
MIse-en-scene (Connor’s body language – sprawled on settee with foot on coffee
table – relaxed, dominant)
- Even though it is not his house, Connor has dominion over it. He
controls what was an entirely female space – afterwards, he makes the act of
sexual congress seem trivial – he dismisses it as insignificant by stating,
“I’m wasted”. It is a lot more significant for Mia – she has no agency; she is
made to appear more vulnerable
Cinematography:
- Shot sizes – Connor tends to be shown in medium to medium long shot with
the camera at his eyeline – shallow depth of field is used so that Mia is
unfocused and he is focused – so that the attention is on his gaze – also, when
Mia dances, she is foregrounded, so that the spectator focuses on her body – it
becomes, through the diegetic audience (Connor, a site of passivity and
objectification
- However, Mia tends to be shown in CU or MCU, often at ¾ angle or in
profile, with no over-the-shoulder shot from Connor’s perspective
- In terms of suture, this is not a classic shot/reverse shot because
there is an imbalance between perspectives – the spectator is encouraged to
empathise with Mia, and not to share Connor’s perspective – Arnold seems to be
challenging us – perhaps she is challenging the notion of the male gaze –
forcing us both to gaze upon her, but also to empathise with her, so that we
become conscious of our own objectification of her – especially true for older
male audiences.
- Medium two-shot of Mia/Connor on settee - Mia is passive – she does
nothing to pursue Connor – he brings her to him
Cinematography & mise-en-scene (Connor sprawled on settee – high angle
medium shot – props – bottle of vodka between thighs)
- Vodka bottle = penis/phallic
imagery – Mia is living in a patriarchal society in which she is objectified by
the male. Therefore, phallic imagery comes to represent the patriarch –
literally, the father. In Oedipal terms, Connor represents the potential sexual
partner but also, in lieu of the biological father, the ersatz father. Binary
opposition is created by the conflict Mia feels between father/lover.Key scenes include:
- Opening
- Mia meets Connor
- Mia attacked by Joanne
- Car scene
- Connor & Joanne's sexual relations
- Dance scene
- End scene
(from Padlet)
Opening:
- First shot of Mia out of breath, low within frame, meant to feel pity/belittle, hands on hips in front of view, Kuleshov effect
- Looking out from the city from outsiders view, Mia is trying to escape ->rises up to see view of area, chiaroscuro used to show dark conations of poor area despite picturesque aesthetic
- Pans the view around Mia , keeps audience sutured ,reflecting the audiences perspective if they were in the situation
- Light shining on specific point , to where Mia is going to next , using light to foreshadow
- Following her, hears children not at school, poor setting
- Tyler and friends sunbathing, sexualisation of children
- Low angle looking up, talking to man - painting her as someone who could go up in the world when provided with adult guidance but is let down so camera goes back
- Walks aggressively then sits down to watch friends, camera at eye level, focus on her emotion towards these people, separating herself from the others
- Men watching the girls dance, sexualisation of girls, patriarchy, lose of innocence
- Fence around them, zoomorphism - pov Mia who is in the cage herself , tried to be forced out by other girls, their facial expressions towards her
- Quick escalation into the fight adds to the idea of caged animals , picture of that social class
girls don't want to fight, Mia starts, audience dislikes her.
Mia comforts the horse:
The use of natural, diegetic sound complimenting the unstable, hand-held camera. Then once she reaches the horse the camera, despite still being unsteady, becomes steady.
As Mia approaches the horse, Arnold exemplifies suspense through the use of adding no artificial sound. What the spectator hears is exactly what Mia is hearing, thus enabling us to empathise with her. The use of viewing Mia in an unstable hand-held shot, introduces the theme of unease and paranoia. Then once Mia reaches the horse, Arnold purposefully makes the camera a lot steadier when following Mia’s arm while she strokes the horse. This in turn invites the spectator to understand Mia’s comfort; the horse is a source of escape for her. Furthermore, it’s the first time we see Mia’s innocence blossom and the first time we see her take care of anything. It is through the connotations of the micro features that Arnold introduces the binary opposition of unease versus comfort and childhood versus adulthood
Mia confronted by the travellers
The return to unsteady, hand-held camera + the proximity of Mia being in the middle of the two male travellers
When Mia appears to attempt to break the horse from its chains with a hammer, she’s intercepted by the other male travellers and the camera returns to its hand-held unsteadiness. She introduces a new binary opposition of man versus woman. This is physically visualised as Mia is surrounded by the men and her proximity from the camera has altered as we are placed in an over the shoulder shot from behind one of the male traveller which has the effect of amplifying their dominance (in previous over the shoulder shots where Mia is in conversation with other characters The hammer that Mia was going to used is given its own identity as Arnold introduces us to a close up of it in the traveller’s hand. Arnold is forcing the audience to feel helpless and thus portraying the male’s domineering presence over the inferior woman in a patriarchal society.
Car Scene:
Mia POV medium shot of: Joanne and Connor. - Between 28:32 - 30:52 the majority of shots come from the POV of Mia specifically in the framing of Connor, this combination with her reaction shot- The female gaze objectifies Connor - Mia breaks the stereotypical male gaze - she rejects her mother and attempts to identify with Connor. - The audience is sutured by the shot/reverse shot- we are invited to empathise with Mia. CU of Mia profile + The academy ratio 4:3. - This framing of Mia is claustrophobic- Connor is framed wider - he represents her way to freedom this is perhaps why Mia aims to identify with Connor.
Rack focus Mia -->Outside -> Shallow DOF - At this point the music has ended- the tension has calmed- Mia feels relaxed- with the window down- changing area of focus the audience- it is a phantasmagorical situation.
Over the shoulder shot of Mia and Tyler. Breaking up of tension - the relationship between all the character has now become neutral- by using over the shoulder shot of Mia all the characters are presented equally- the imagery resembles a family trip which Mia subconsciously wants. "MUM"
Music - The music is symbolic as it links the start of Connors and Mia's relationship with a pivotal moment in their lives.
Connor & Joanne - sexual relations:
- According to Freudian theory, the child that witnesses their parents having sexual relations maintains this memory in their unconscious which contains forgotten or repressed traumas of the past.
- The scene wherein Mia witnesses Connor and Joanne having sexual relations strongly refers to this prospect, however distorts it by merging it with Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex.
- The jealousy that Mia has of Connor and Joanne, represented in sound of the door slamming loudly refers to the the side of the Oedipus complex wherein females are sexually attracted to the father, as the anger behind the sound of the door slam insinuates that Mia wants the attention and sexual gratification from the father figure, Connor, that her mother Joanne in receiving.
- To merge this with the Freudian theme of repressed sexual trauma in the unconscious mind, arguably, the low key lighting of almost pitch black darkness that Mia steps out into in the hallway, could represent how in Freudian theory, the repressed memories of witnessing one's parents having sexual relations reappears in dreams.
- To represent the aspect of the Oedipus complex of the father figure acquiring a mutual sexual desire for the daughter figure, in performance, Connor looks at Mia; this insinuates that he is fully aware and not at all vexed that Mia is witnessing him having sexual relations. Furthermore this could suggest that Connor's aim is to coax Mia into having sexual relations with himself, by paying attention to her through eye contact - that is, through the diegetic male gaze - whilst he is having sexual relations. Connor leaving the door open as a macro feature of narrative, may highlight this idea; as it seems that Connor is seeking for Mia to pay attention to him having sexual relations.
- In this sense he is the patriarch of the household, and could represent Freud's idea of the dominant male in the primal horde, who had a monopoly over having sexual relations with any of the women of the horde he desired. Alternatively, it could be argued that it is Joanne who purposefully leaves the door open, within the macro feature of narrative, does this purposefully to boastfully display herself having sexual relations with Connor to Mia. This may be a statement that Mia is unwelcome into their sexual relationship or a hint that Joanne suspects that Mia has a sexual desire for Connor.
Ending:
See Mia leaving the estate. Mia looking back smiling suggests that despite the angry personalities she attempts to admit she is thankful of her upbringing. This is clear throughout the final scene and suggests that this experience has allowed Mia to mature.
Extreme long shot showing the entire estate.
Balloon flies off into the sky. Metaphorical for Mia leaving the council estate and the atmosphere that she has grown up in.
Driving away from the estate final scene
Matches many typical overly happy Hollywood films to express the harsh reality of the real world. Commenting on the lack of realism in Hollywood films. As Mia and Billy drive off we are not assuming that Mia and Billy’s life from there will be easy and calm. Also could be seen to show how Mia leaving feels like she is someone like sandy in the end of ‘Grease’ as she has finally gotten what she wants by leaving home.
Diegetic rap music “life’s a b*tch and the you die” Hand held camera moves with Mia and Joanne
The music comments on the way that the family, particularly Joanne, feels towards life. Things tend to go against her such as Connor leaving. We see her connecting to rappers speaking about how life is bad and this could be used to make us feel sympathy for her as we see how tough her life has been for her.
Mia Meets Connor:
Costume:
Connor has come down topless From the get-go Connor is asserting his patriarchal dominance in the house. It isn’t his home yet he seems to feel comfortable enough to come down with no shirt and low cut jeans on. Mia is then introduced to this binary opposition: conflict between lover/father as soon as she meets him.
Dialogue:
Connor ‘I was enjoying it’ Continuing this conflict, we don’t know who this is and we automatically get a sense of something’s off. Potential action code: what will she respond? What did he mean by this?
Cinematography:
A medium shot of Mia watching Connor -> We see her watching him and we first start to see her interest in him; she’s intrigued
Cinematography/MES:
Close up of the people dancing on TV - The people dancing together on the TV could symbolise how Mia wants to be with Connor (Soviet Montage??)
Performance:
We see Mia’s eyes following Connor -> Again we see how intrigued she is by him, and can argue this is the first time we see her ‘follow’ him and this can be argued to be the beginning of her ‘obsession’ with him and is foreshadowing. (maybe following him to his house?) Action code: we question ourselves to what she is actually thinking?
Cinematography:
Mia POV shot She is watching him. Same as above. Role reversal of the male gaze: she is staring and watching him. Maybe a symbol of feminism?
Close up of Connor’s torso (Mia POV shot) Oedipal trajectory: somewhat of a fetishisation of Connor’s body.
Mia Watches Connor go upstairs More evidence of the female gaze. Once the scene is over we are confused about Connor’s character. In reference to Propp’s character type we are unsure as to whether he is the villain, father, helper, donor, hero, false hero
Dance Scene:
- intense focus/long shots on girl dancing/ auditioning- the spectator is in the position of man who will be watching her if she wins audition- director criticising male gaze and the way women are viewed by men. the spectator feels they are in the same position as Connor was watching Mia.
- Mia is told to take hair down which resembles Connor asking the same of her. Sexualisation of women. she is told that she looks more feminine which portrays expectations of women and the way they are presented in order to appeal to men.
- long shot of Mia being watched by judges/other girls- resembles Connor watching her- as a woman she constantly being watched and scrutinised.
- slight high angle shot looking down on Mia- presents her vulnerability and intimidation.
- as she walks out of audition the diegetic music becomes quieter- portrays her rejection/realisation of the expectations that people like Connor hold over her- also a rejection of the idea of Connor providing her with comfort and safety- Mia presented with power over her future for the first time in the film- she no longer rely's on Connor.
- high angle over the shoulder shots looking down at girls watching Mia- audience made to empathise with and align themselves with her.
- shot reverse shot of Mia of stage- close ups of her face reveal her realisation/disillusionment.
WNTTAK KEY SCENES:
Cinematography
• Seamus McGarvey shot the film but worked closely with long-time friend Ramsay, whose initial interest in filmmaking came from photography and cinematography. Both are committed to the idea that film is a cinematic medium, that it is the visual image and how it is captured that communicates narrative, and both wanted to shoot the film on celluloid in 35 mm anamorphic format.
• A fast film stock was used (Fuji 500T) to create vivid contrasts in the film’s many night time scenes. This gave McGarvey the, ‘ability to create and manipulate contrast, which was especially important in scenes when atrocities take place, and in the clapboard house at the end of the film. I wanted deep blacks and the colours to pop, while shooting in low key light without inappropriate grain’.
• In the opening sequence we see many close ups of blood-coloured images, such as in the tomato festival and Eva’s food, which foreshadows the themes of death and murder but also is a visual motif familiar from Ramsay’s other films in which she shows a fascination with the details of objects and bodies.
Mise-en-Scène
• Ramsay, McGarvey and Kinnear (co-writer) spent the month before discussing the visual grammar for the film, creating shot lists and decided on a colour palette of toned down natural hues and the dramatic use of striking red, blue and yellow primary colours. We see the dramatic use of red in the opening sequence.
• The performances of Swinton and Miller are very stylised and enigmatic in the opening and closing sequences of the film which encourage the spectator to create character meaning. We are uncertain at the end of the film how the mother and son feel towards each other. Despite their final embrace there is little display of emotional connection (which has been a motif throughout the film, Kevin even comments on this when he asks, ‘have I ever (looked happy)?’.
• The contrast between the home in which we see Eva at the beginning of the film (rundown and vandalised) is in stark contrast to the home we see her living in in the flashback at the end of the opening sequence (spacious and luxurious). This visual contrast suggests the journey that Eva has been on and creates intrigue into how, and why, her life has taken such a turn.
Editing
• Graphic matches in colour and performance between the tomato festival and Eva waking up in the opening sequence suggest thematic connections. The striking use of the colour red makes the spectator focus on the connection between Eva and the idea of blood.
• The graphic match between Eva and Kevin’s faces as they wash are discontinuous but, again, suggest a metaphorical meaning and invite the spectator to see a connection between these two characters. They not only look similar, and are washing in the same way, but they also move in the same manner, the transition between characters is seamless.
• The unedited tracking shot of Eva’s apartment allows us to see the messy and disordered state of her life at the beginning of the film. We see the evidence of drinking, unhealthy diet and drug dependency revealed one by one and then connected to Eva.
Sound
• The film opens with a sound collage of a ticking sound, some faint echoed voices and a low hum that gradually increase in pace of repetition until they culminate in a loud bang and a cut to the ecstatic voices of the festival in the next shot. It is a threatening and mysterious beginning to the film that becomes more meaningful on repeat viewings as we realise it is a ticking clock/bomb and the sound of Kevin’s victims echoing in the school gymnasium.
• There is no dialogue at all until 05:29 when Celia, ironically, sings ‘I’m getting ready for the party’. The exposition of the narrative is achieved visually and through the creative manipulation of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound effects.
• The film ends with Eva and Kevin unable to communicate any further and virtual silence. The guard tells them, fatefully, ‘Your time is up’ and we see Eva walk away in a state of shock whilst the song ‘A Mother’s Last Words to her Son’ plays. Sound is being used metaphorically again and deliberately subservient to the image, typical of Ramsay’s auteurist style.
Representations
• At the end of the film we see Kevin embrace his mother and there is a suggestion in his vocal delivery that he is about to express remorse for what he has done or find some kind of emotional attachment to his mother but his facial expression is still blank. The final shot of Kevin sees him still disengaged from any emotional connections and there is ambiguity about his character and feelings. We are unclear whether we are meant to see Kevin as a damaged child who feels remorseful and frightened or as a cold-hearted, evil killer. He represents one of the central questions of the film – is evil caused by nature or nurture?
• At the end of the film we see Eva leave Kevin after asking her unanswered question to Kevin about his motivation for the killings. Her character is as ambiguous as Kevin’s. In visiting him, seeking to understand why he did what he did and in embracing him she seems to be a loving mother despite what she has been through. Her body language, vocal delivery and facial expressions though suggest a more analytical and cerebral interest in Kevin’s motivations rather than an emotional engagement. She walks out of the prison displaying a blank and unemotional face and never looks back, perhaps it is the last time she will visit.
• If we look at the representation of the family in the film we see a dysfunctional, damaged and fractured family unit. Suggestions of this can be seen represented in the initial introduction of them as a group, principally through the use of cinematography and editing. We see Celia isolated at the breakfast bar and as she turns, we see that her eye has been damaged. We then see each family member separated into different shots. There is some suggestion of connection between Eva and Kevin as a dissolved graphic match is used between their shots. We see some connection in the father, Franklin, dancing with Celia and play-fighting with Kevin but generally the use of framing and cutting keeps them apart. Even when we see Kevin stood next to Celia their body language suggests disconnection.
Aesthetics
• Visual detail is very important in the work of Lynne Ramsay. She finds poetic meaning in the most mundane of objects and parts of the human body. A key aspect of her auteur style is to tell her stories visually, this has been a fascination of hers since her early interest in photography. We see an examination of visual detail in the opening sequence as we slowly zoom into the net curtain blowing in the wind, the series of shots showing Eva’s body at the festival and then the visual details of her current home.
• The lack of expositional dialogue in the film is a key aspect of Ramsay’s auteur signature and adds to the ‘quiet’, brooding aesthetic style. This can be seen very clearly in the opening sequence where there is no dialogue for the first five minutes of the film. When we do hear dialogue it is incidental rather than expositional, this is an important aspect of the film as it forces us to seek meaning in the visual storytelling.
• The use of graphic matches to connect ideas and characters rather than for continuity is an important aspect of the film’s aesthetic style. In the opening sequence we see graphic matches made between objects and settings that are coloured red which help to signify blood, death and danger which become crucial themes as the film progresses. We also see the use of graphic matching and graphic discontinuity between characters to suggest their relationships. We see a dissolve and graphic match between Kevin and Eva when the family is introduced. There seems to be a meaningful connection between them in the way in which the shots match in terms of framing, setting, shot type as well as in the mise-en-scène, both mother and son look surprisingly alike.
The Supermarket Scene: (23:00)
Sound:
- Muzak -> flow of diegetic muzak (piped music) is synchronised to speed of Eva's walk -> Greensleeves (lullaby-esque, assoc. w/childhood) -> ironic, isolates Eva from society, contrapuntal to the scene
- Diegetic sound of trolly wheels over music -> about consumerism, buying
- Crunching of egg shells -> hyperrealistic -> white noise in background has hallucinogenic quality; Eva reminiscing
- Non-diegetic dialogue - mirrors Eva's internal thoughts & Franklin's echo-ic voice, talking to Kevin, sinister & soothing at the same time, phantasmagorical (dreamlike), lullaby like, envies Franklin as he's dead at this point
- Sound bridge at the end of the scene with Eva's non-diegetic words to Kevin ('mommy')
Mise-en-scene:
- Costume: long raincoat - acts as a disguise, originally makes her fit in but then makes her stand out. She's an outsider, marginalised -> dressed differently from others, drab colour - shifts focus from her clothing, she doesn't car what she looks like.
Narrative Features & ideological analysis: In terms of representation of women, it hides her feminine physique - disguises her womanhood from society -> deliberately goes against the male gaze
- High-key lighting highlights the colour of her skin, her paleness - Association of eggs = fertility/conception/birth, 'there all broken' -> a indirect comment on the broken state of her motherhood & her fertility. Idea other mother lost her egg with cut to the next scene
- This scene directly parallels to the lychee scene and the egg eating relates to Kevin biting his nails in the prison scene
Editing:
- The use of editing of the other character in the background conveys the other woman broke the eggs -> editing technique of intercutting between present and flashback, whilst remembering the shooting -> the cuts get a lot quicker
- Stretcher: slow motion used & fast cutting
- The Kuleshov effect: the broken eggs, know what Eva's feeling in the present -> know about it through the backgrounds, provides egg eating with meaning
- Pacing - slow & tense, when showing flashback cutting is a lot faster, flashbacks answer as action codes, allievates the tension as most tense when in the present, flashbacks chaotic (can use personal argument to cover own opinion whether it gets tenser in flashback or the present is more tense).
- The fast editing cut to the mother crying over her child being carried out of the attack on the stretcher gives the audience the information as to why she broke the eggs
- Constant flashbacks -> lots of shots of the mother and focuses on nature, set up persistent enigma code, gradual reveal of information
Kevin's conception to birth: (13:36-19:57)
- Dark lighting during sex scene. Also red lighting, foreshadows the danger and consequences of this scene and Kevin's birth. The alarm clock writing (12am) is also in red writing which gives further connotations of the danger that Kevin will bring. The flashing of the alarm once again represents the danger of Kevin -> used throughout film
- The cells -> relevancy? -> division, replicating, intercut with a photocopier, Eva sees it as no miracle, mytosis
- Visual signs of Eva struggling with motherhood before Kevin was born: looks at her body and presents she feels uncomfortable with it, it's Franklin that puts up the baby's chair and is excited whilst Eva has a nondescript reaction to it (non diegetic not diegetic) -> dreaminess
- The song (Ham & Eggs?) -> use of eggs foreshadows later events in the film, how her 'egg' (Kevin) turned out bad and her state of routine & nothingness after the school shooting
- Between Kevin's conception & birth, the film flashes forward to Eva driving to and entering the prison, and a quick cut to the school shooting. Eva passes a red tree which connotes her guilt & Kevin's danger and the cut to the school shooting sets up the use of enigma codes to the audience as information about the film is gradually revealed but the audience are still in the dark at this point as to how the school massacre links to the plot of the film. This is gradually built up during this scene as a couple of minutes later, Eva is shown visiting Kevin in prison which foreshadows his dark future to the audience. However the silence between Eva & Kevin keeps the audience in the dark about their relationship & what happened. When Eva walks out, someone being arrested screams out 'I didn't do nothing' which could be a link between Eva & Kevin's relationship as Eva's lack of maternal instinct led to Kevin going to extreme measures to get his mother's attention as he felt she never noticed him.
- Eva presented as feeling uncomfortable in the scene where all the other pregnant mothers are talking. Eva stays silent & walks out. -> mise-en-scene
- Kids run past Eva screaming straight after -> she slows down until they're gone, shows how she's struggling to cope with the pressure of the noise of kids -> reminiscent of prison corridor, considers pregnancy to be a prison
- The second prison scene goes directly into Eva going into labour through the use of a white light -> significance of this> -> feels imprisoned giving birth, being 'pinned down' by nurses -> 'stop resisting' -> reflection in domed light, upside down -> shows her life is gonna go upside down, blurry haze + very distorted & warped, finds this almost unnatural
- After the baby is born, the audience are visually shown that Eva is physically detached from her child. Franklin cuddles the baby whereas Eva is centre middle and just staring forwards & not even paying attention to her child. She ignores the diegetic sound of Kevin crying which shows that she is unresponsive to Kevin's needs -> blue hat of Kevin matching Franklin's shirt - disconnect between Eva and the family -> Eva blends in to the wall -> never see Eva breastfeeding at all, still ignoring Kevin's needs -> one of the only scenes without absence of red -> lighting on her arm looks like a cast, very very ill
Eva gets to the school after the incident: (1:30-1:33:10)
- When Eva is driving to the school, it flash forwards to her imagination of how Kevin committed the massacre
- Diegetic sounds of screaming and police sirens when she drives up to the school, creates fear and tension in the audience even though they know how this scene will play out as the flashbacks throughout the film gradually reveals that Kevin is behind the attack
- The red light flashing on Eva's face -> represents the guilt she's about to feel. The red light throughout the scene represents the bloodshed from the massacre
- Eva steps forward after the realisation that the product Kevin brought was holding the doors together closed so she realises Kevin is behind the attack. She's still as she goes forward whilst the facial expressions of the parents behind her look scared and screaming non-dietetically.
- The screaming represents the atmosphere of the school, close-ups of characters shown screaming & crying, presents how many people Kevin's actions have affected
- The police arrest Kevin and he turns around to look back when he's taken away
Other key scenes:
The tomato scene
Eva breaking Kevin's arm
The Christmas Party
The end scene
Blood on Eva's hands:
- Red is a prevalent colour in mise en scene
- From the religious ecstasy of La Tomatina Festival in the opening scene, to Eva constantly scraping red paint off her house & even in mudane household objects, there's hardly a frame without red in it
- Ironically despite the horrifying events in the film, barely any blood is shown -> a characteristic shared with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Look for: notable red items or objects seen throughout & the effect they have. Also look for what red signifies and others film red is important include Don't Look Now, Schindler's List & The Sixth Sense -> what thematic importance does red have in these films?
Martyrdom -> crucifixion imagery throughout the film
Washing the hands constantly -> relates to Lady Macbeth, trying to wash away the guilt, literally having blood on her hands
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