![]() But the scalpel-steel chill that left some of A Single Man's critics cold, works with, rather than against, the material. It's impossible not to notice that the cast are all a bit too prepossessing or that the film is overly aestheticised (victims of gruesome sexual crimes have seldom looked so pretty). A clatter of engaging subplots and briefly glimpsed characters – meet Laura Linney’s dowager or Andrea Riseborough’s dismissive socialite in a hideous muumuu – might all be worked into spin-off films. What can it all mean?Įditor Joan Sobel’s Hitchcockian sense of timing ensures that transitions between the competing strands are smooth. She begins to replay scenes from their courtship and clipped marriage. ![]() Tony survives the ordeal (though seems to wish he hadn’t) and teams up with a cowboy cop (Michael Shannon, in tremendous form) to track down the perpetrators.īack in Los Angeles, Susan, pacing elegantly and fretfully against her full-wall windows, is both enthralled and increasingly discombobulated by her ex-husband’s novel. What we see is that Edward’s novel is an act of creation (connects to the concept of Woman), of personal expression (connects to the concept of dancing), detailing past flaws (connects with the idea of overweight and nakedness), in order to find catharsis and thus positivity (connects with happiness).Despite his pretty-boy features, their brutish leader, Ray (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), wastes no time in kidnapping the women. The novel is a tale of loss and vengeance, at once brutal in its condemnation of how Edward acted, placing the blame squarely on himself, while also allowing him a method for forgiveness and ultimately moving on. ![]() He uses his novel as a vessel to explore the pain and suffering he felt after Susan cheated on him. Is there anyone else involved with art? Yes, Edward is a writer. So they were part of an artistic expression.ĭoes art connect with Susan? Yes, she’s a gallery manager, so it’s part of her life. The women end up being videos from an art exhibit. Seventh, we check for further connections. That means that those women at the beginning are everything that Susan is not. All this, despite her being beautiful, rich, successful, and well-respected within her field. She feels guilty, trapped, and unsatisfied. Throughout the movie we see the present version of Susan as cold, confused, unhappy, drained, haunted, bad at expressing her emotions and dealing with her emotions. This opening scene is emblematic of what Susan is not. So we do have a connection! It’s an inverse relationship. But, there’s one further step.īefore ruling out, you have to check if the character is the opposite.ĭoes Susan embody the opposites of dancing? Yes.ĭoes she embody the opposites of being naked? Yes.ĭoes she embody the opposites of being overweight? Yes.ĭoes she embody the opposites of being happy? Yes. Because the answers were all “no”, we’d usually rule the character out as a match. We could then apply meaning to the scene based on the journey of the character. If the answers were mostly “yes”, then we could conclude that this scene resonates with the character and thus connects with the character. Does she embody the characteristics of being happy? No. Does she embody the characteristics of being overweight? No. ![]() director of photography Film Editing by Joan Sobel. (music) Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey. (directed by) Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by Abel Korzeniowski. Does she embody the characteristics of being naked? No. Nocturnal Animals (2016) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Tom Ford. Does she embody the characteristics of dancing? No. Is one of the main characters a woman? Yes, Susan (Amy Adams).ĭoes she dance? No. It’s an embracing of flaws.įifth, we ask if there is a main character that aligns with these characteristics and their symbolic meanings. It is not what we expect from the situation. So we have a dissonance, as women many would think would be uncomfortable being naked when overweight are actually proud and happy to be naked when overweight. Dancing naked is mostly associated with stripping, which is mostly associated with attractive bodies. ![]() Oten that empowerment comes from the attractiveness of our bodies. Positive, confident, cheerful, energetic, satisfiedįourth, we ask if this is what we’d expect, yes or no, and why?īeing naked is usually either something that makes us feel either self-conscious or empowered.But also: plenty, presence, warmth, comfort Unhealthy, lack of restraint, indulgence.Vulnerability, freedom, truth, confidence, exposed.Energy, fun, expression, emotion, health, spirit.Life, creation, beauty, motherhood, nature, emotion, with some symbolism revolving around sexuality and sensualness.Second, we look at the symbolic meanings that are generally associated with these things. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |