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Representation, Trainspotting

Representation in ‘Trainspotting’

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Young People

Throughout the film, the young people, known as Generation X, are portrayed as nihilistic and unknowing of what they want to do with their lives, shown by the fact that the vast majority of the main cast are heroin addicts and that the characters of Sick Boy and Allison unsuccessfully being able to care for a new life and maybe even this could be seen as them being unable to care for the next generation. A contrasting representation is portrayed to the audience by the character of the school girl, Dianne. She, unlike most of the characters in the film, knows what she wants to do with her life and sexual, whilst also being knowledgeable about the way in which the new generation is heading.

Older People

The main depiction of older people in the film ‘Trainspotting’ is that of Renton’s parents, who are depicted sympathetically as a caring loving couple, deeply concerned for their son. However, I also think there is a bit of hypocriticalness in their behaviour, as through Renton’s dialogue and the visual depiction of the mother and father, the audience knows that they too are drug addicts constantly drinking and smoking. The difference they are socially acceptable drug addicts and this depiction may be the director socially commentating that these people too should be shunned for their unhealthy habits.

Working class people

Working class people are depicted as something for the main protagonists/drug addicts to take advantage of, for the their own beneficial gain, evidenced in the airsoft gun scene, where Renton and Sick Boy shoot a pit-bull and get it to maul it’s master and the scenes of Bigbe’s irrational outbursts, such as the multiple bar fights throughout the film, cause we know thanks to Renton that Bigbe finds pleasure in other people’s pain. A major sequence which echoes this message of working class people being taken advantage of is when Bigbe and Sick Boy move into Renton’s new flat without asking and turn it into a dump.

Scottish People

The key representation of Scottish people that comes to mind for me and most likely many viewers is when the character of Tommy tries to make the group go on a hike through the Scottish hillsides, which they then reject, resulting in Renton’s infamous ‘it’s shite being Scottish’ monologue/speech towards the rest of the group. Though it is fuelled by his realisation that his lover is a school girl, it stills represents the key representation of Scottish people in this film that being they don’t have a very view of themselves and, even though they hate England, they realise its probably a better place to live. This thought is thrown to the curb when Renton moves to England and he realises its just a big of a dump as Scotland is.

Addicts

In ‘Trainspotting’, the obvious portrayal of addicts is that of the main cast of protagonists, who are addicted to heroin. Their addiction is shown to be something that hurts all those around them, key examples being Renton’s parents constantly being disappointed in him throughout the film and the death of Sick Boy and Allison’s baby. Other addicts in the film are Renton’s parents, who are seen throughout the film constantly smoking and drinking. As Renton says, they are ‘socially acceptable addicts’ and perhaps Boyle’s inclusion of these characters carrying out these actions may be him critiquing society and saying that all drug addicts, socially acceptable or not, should seek help.

Men and Women

The entirety of the film is told from the white male perspective of Renton, meaning the views expressed throughout the film are that of a white male. Men in the film of ‘Trainspotting’ are pictured as being careless, not thinking about if their actions are hurting anyone, as shown through the heroin addiction of the main protagonists and the robbing montage, where the main protagonists rob all types of different people, including old people. The women in the film are pretty much in there for love interests for the main protagonists. However, the character of Dianne does give some insight to how the next generation will get on with life. Renton saying ‘one thousand years from now there will be no guys and no girls’, does show that he thinks there will be gender equality down the years, whilst also suggesting his views on sexual fluidity.

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Aesthetics

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Realism

Versimilitude: the believability or semblance of truth in a work, even if that work doesn’t reflect real-life accurately. Example: ‘The Wolfpack’ (2014). Uses the real-life people who experienced the events shown in the film, adding to the versimilitude in the film.

Social Realism: when a film tries to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures behind these conditions. Example: ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ (1962). The main protagonist uses running as a way to mentally reflect upon his political thoughts and realises the class divisions within in England.

Magic Realism: when a film portrays fantastical events in an otherwise realistic tone. Example: ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2016). Tells a realistic story simultaneously with a fairytale.

Hyper-reality: a film in which what is real and what is fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins. Example: ‘The Matrix’ (1999). The virtual reality medium is used to illustrate the concept of hyper-reality, which is what the majority of the film is based upon.

Visual Style

Iconography: the use of recurring visual images and symbols in movies that convey specific themes, evoke emotions, and build a film’s narrative identity. Example: ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993). The recurring symbol of the girl in the red coat, which represents the persecution of innocence and the needlessness of war.

Intertextual Referencing: when films over lap with another piece of literature or an idea. Example: ‘Shrek’ (2001). Throughout the ‘Shrek’ franchise many fairy tales and other pieces of literature are referenced, such as the characters of Pinocchio or The Three Little Pigs.

Visual/Sound Motifs: A recurring visual or aural element that is link to a thematic meaning. Example: ‘Psycho’ (1960). Throughout the film, the character of Norman Bates is frequently seen with images of birds or actual taxidermized birds. This foreshadows to the viewer the twist ending that his mother is dead and that Norman has been preserving her since her death.

Colour Grading: Manipulating contrast, colour, saturation and other aspects to match scenes that are shot under different conditions or that have similar thematic content. Example: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015). The film of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ has an amazing orange hue throughout and was done by director George Miller’s wife Margaret Sixel. It was a risk as she had never edited a film before but Miller wanted a woman’s take on editing. She ended up winning an academy award for Best Film Editing in 2015.

Auteur Trademarks: a reference (a character, an angle, a theme) that is recurrent in the author’s work. Example: ‘The Shining’. Stanley Kubrick’s auteur style is marked by grandeur and meticulous craftsmanship. His style consists of striking symmetry, innovative lighting techniques and detailed set designs whose visual depth mirrors the thematic depth of most of his films.

Tone

Pathos: To appeal to the audience’s emotion. Example: ‘The Lion King’ (1994). The scene in which Mufasa dies by the hands of his own brother, Scar, is sure to evoke some emotion from the audience as someone in the audience has surely lost a parental figure.

Bathos: When a film’s tone starts out serious and then turns trivial. Example: ‘War of the Worlds’ (1953). The ending of the film ‘War of the Worlds’ is definitely anticlimactic and bathetic, as the Martians die to microbes in the atmosphere that their immune systems were unprepared for. This delivers an unexpecting ending for the audience.

Suspense: The audience’s excited anticipation about the the plot or the conflict, which may be heightened by a violent moment or a stressful scene. Example: The Conjuring (2013). The scenes in which the family first arrive at the house are rather suspenseful, due to the set design of the film, which utilises narrow staircases, low ceilings and an unsettling atomsphere.

Comedy: ‘Make ’em laugh’ films designed to elicit laughter and excrete humour from the audience. Example: ‘The Three Amigos’ (1986). A personal favourite comedy film of mine, featuring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short, in which Three actors travel to a Mexican village to perform as their movie characters, the Three Amigos. However, the community thinks they are actual gunfighters and asks them to stop a group of bandits.

Dramatic Irony: A plot device to highlight the difference between a character’s understanding of a given situation and that of an audience. Example: ‘Jaws’ (1975). Throughout the film, there are moments where the audience knows the shark is there, when the characters do not.

Distancing Effect (Verfremdung): When a character reminds the audience that they are watching a play, rather than making it more realistic. Example: ‘Palindromes’ (2004) in Palindromes, Solondz uses the alienation effect to create a space for discussion over what abuse can look like from a child’s perspective

Postmodern Humour: When a comedy presents a thoroughly undeceived view of human life. Example: ‘Wayne’s World’ (1992). Uses post modernist humour to discuss the fragility of the media.

Representation, This is England

This Is England Representation Task

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Masculinity

Masculinity is a key theme of the film ‘This is England’, as obviously a lot of the characters in the film are men. There are two main characters, in my opinion, which not only exhibit masculinity to the characters in the film, but also represent two types of masculinity in the eyes of the viewer. On one hand, you have Woody, who embodies the male in Britain at the time who was accepting of everyone, no matter of their appearance, age, gender or ethnicity, which is shown by him inviting Shaun in to his group despite being such a young age. Then you have Combo, who embodies the males who had very right wing views and who believed that through Britain caring for minorities that the white working class male had become a minority themselves.

Women

Women throughout the film of ‘This is England’ are shown to be caring towards the male characters in the film, such as Shaun’s Mum to Shaun, the girls in the gang to Shaun and Smell to Shaun. They’re also used in the film to portray some of the horrible that happened to women during that time period and still happen today. This is shown through the interchange between Combo and Lol in which Combo claims that the thought of their ‘love’ got him through prison. Lol then implies that Combo raped her whilst drunk, as she says that she’s been trying to forget about that night ever since it happened. They’re also portrayed as the more sensible characters in the film and soceity at the time, as shown by the second montage in the film where the boys are messing about and walking solemnly towards the camera, and also when Shaun’s mum takes him to the shoe shop and insists he gets a certain pair of shoes.

Young People

Young people throughout the film are shown to be quite impressionable to their surroundings, such as when Combo convinces a handful of Woody’s gang, including an extremely young Shaun, to join him in committing these heinous, racist acts that we see them do throughout the film. They are also actually shown to be more sensible than adults that we see throughout the film, and even though they do destroy an old abandoned house, that has a nice, friendly tone to it, as they aren’t hurting anyone and they’re bonding with one another over something. On the other hand, the adults throughout the film do horrible, disgusting things, such as prank Woody’s party with a machete. It is only once the young people find themselves under the adult’s tutelage that start to do horrible things, such as racially berate children and men and sexistly taunt women. This film maker showing the audience how impressionable the youth of that time was.

Older People

In terms of older people in the film ‘This is England’, some of them shown to be the caring parental figures in Shaun’s life, such as his mum and Combo, even though Combo does have malicious intent, he is shown to be caring towards Shaun at certain points throughout the film. Politicians, such as Margaret Thatcher, are shown to be, just like in real life, uncaring fools, shown by the graffiti on the side of the church, which is constantly shown throughout the film. Her lack of caring for the working class is the reason for the emergence of these subcultures, such as the ska movement that Woody’s gang follows and the right wing liberalism that Combo believes in.

English People

English people in the film ‘This Is England’ are portrayed in a majority of ways, one being the way in which they are portrayed as violent through the characters that support the political views of the far right, such as Combo. This portrayal is also shown through the opening compilation, in which there is quite a lot of footage that shows British people rioting. Another in which British people are portrayed are quite accepting other people no matter their age or ethnicity. This shown through Woody’s gang and how he invites Shaun, a child, into the gang/friend group as well as being friends with Milky, who is black. This representation though is contradicted later on by the far right characters who berate and abuse people of other ethnicities, such as the man who owns the corner store.

Asian/Black People

Asians and Black people are represented through the characters of Milky, the only black skinhead, and the Asian man who owns the corner shop and the group of Asian boys playing football. Throughout the film, these characters are constantly discriminated against, the most memorable examples for me being when Shaun calls the shop owner a paki and when Combo beats Milky nearly to death whilst berating him with racial slurs. This representation in the film shows to the audience the discrimination people of different ethnicities faced during this time period.

Place (the Midlands where it is set)

The setting of the midlands in the film feels like its own sort of character and as a way for the director to show to the audience the feelings that people had at the time towards those in power, evident from the mise-en-scene which portrays a run-down northern town, telling the audience that the government don’t really care about these people, which is why they’re angry at them. Another element which portrays this anger towards government officials is the ‘Maggie is a twat’ graffiti shown throughout the film.

Class

From the very beginning of the film, directly after the montage, the audience is presented with a clear image of a working class home, which is the opening scene of Shaun’s bedroom and the basic furnishings that it has. The audience is then shown the negative effects that poverty can have upon a person mentally, besides from the obvious effects such as lack of food, as Shaun is bullied for his outdated and ill-fitting clothes. Other images of class presented throughout the film are Combo and his defiant stance on society that the working class male has now become a minority, due to too much immigration, which even those is wrong, could be viewed as right in the case of Combo, as he has clearly had a poor education and where he lives isn’t the nicest of places.

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Exam Feedback

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  1. ‘ Throughout Joker, cinematography is used effectively to create a sense of chaos within the film’s diegetic world’, ‘This reframing of the central character has a potentially cathartic effect for the viewer’, ‘This suggests to the spectator that…’
  2. Diegetic – (of sound in a film, television programme, etc.) occurring within the context of the story and able to be heard by the characters. This includes sound, characters, landscapes etc…
  3. Cathartic effect – Trying to make the viewer have an emotional response, such as cry
  4. Reframing – Shifting your perspective in a conflict or situation
  5. The first sentence of the paragraph is the point in this response. The second sentence is the evidence and rest of this response is them explaining the effect this has on the viewer.
This is England

This is England Micro Elements Task

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Mise-En-Scene

The mise-en-scene is this film is used very effectively to support the tone of the film and to help explain to the audience what is going on in the film and the feelings that the characters are experiencing throughout the film. It also adds to the realism and versimilitude of the film, as this is a period piece. A very evident example of that is, in terms of costume, the skinhead ‘uniform’, which is used throughout the film to convey numerous ideas, such as the bond between the members of the gang. It also shows Shaun’s acceptance into the culture of the skinheads as well as Milky’s pride for his culture, which he has until his final scene in the film, where he is nearly beaten to death by Combo. The use of setting certainly adds to the versimilitude and realism of the film, as most of the film was shot in the real world locations of St Ann’s and Wilsthrope College in Long Eaton, in Nottingham. Also, the use of graffiti adds to realism of the film, showing the political views of people in the area. And in terms of characterization it shows Shaun’s lack of understanding when it comes to racism, as he simply graffitis he own name instead of a racial slur. The sound of the film, especially the soundtrack, and even more specifically the melancholic song by Ludovico Einaudi, conveys to the audience the negative impact that Combo has on Shaun’s life. Also, the use of ska music further reinstates the skinhead movement shown in the film. Finally, the constant radio chatter heard throughout the film keep the parallels between the conflict of the Falkland Wars and Shaun’s life fresh in the viewer’s mind, and show to the viewer why many English were angry at this time and why they were fed up with life, not that it excuses the disgusting behaviour of certain characters in the film.

Editing

Throughout the film, there is a heavy use of montage throughout, the main two examples being the montages of archive footage in the opening scene and the montages showing the different stages of Shaun’s life throughout the film. The first example sets the time period of the film, using lots of pop culture and historical footage from the 80s. Near the end of the montage though, it focuses on the conflict in Falklands War, which is constantly mentioned in the film due to Shaun’s dad dying in it. This invites the spectator to draw ideological parallels between the conflict and the event’s in Shaun’s life. The montages of Shaun show the three main stages in his journey/life as a young kid growing up during these times. The first one features numerous long shots conveying the isolation that Shaun is feeling at this point in his life. The second one has a more upbeat mood, showing footage of him having fun with Woody’s gang to the upbeat sound of ‘Louie Louie’. The final montage is much more serious in tone and it is when Combo is ‘training’ Shaun. The more serious tone matches the much more explicit and realistically depressing content of a young boy committing racist acts to people around him. The three different montages are useful for comparative analysis, as the tone of each one varies dramatically.

Cinematography

The cinematography used throughout the film allows for a more personal connection to the world of the film and to the characters within it. An example would be the handheld camera which is used throughout the film, which contributes to the authentic tone of this social realist film. An interesting use of cinematography, which remains in my mind as being very interesting, is the use of big close up shots, an example being the one used in the conversation between Combo and Shaun. In terms of the characters, this suggests a bond growing between the two of them, but for the audience it allows them to become much more intimate with the characters of Combo and Shaun and this may even be one of the points in the film where the audience likes Shaun, as in this scene he is shown to be somewhat caring towards Shaun, almost being like his father figure. A final example of cinematography that allows the audience to be more intimate with the characters in the scene is the use of POV shots from Milky’s perspective in the assault scene, which not only aligns the audience with him, but it creates greater emotional impact and horror.

Sound

The sound within the film does a multiltude of things within the film. It helps the audience be dropped back in time to the land of the 80s, with ska tracks such as Toots and The Mayals ‘Louie Louie’, which adds to the versimilitude of the film. Another feature of sound, which was previously mentioned, was the use of radio chatter of Margaret Thatcher talking about the Falklands War. This allows the viewer to draw parallels between Shaun’s life and the Falklands war, which he has been greatly affected by, as we know he has lost his father, which could be said is the main reason for his lack of direction in life.

This is England

‘This is England’ 1st Response

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Critical score: 9.1/10

I think this is the best film we have watched so far, as it does doesn’t do much wrong. In my personal opinion, the shots of the group walking towards the camera, though essential to show how Shaun’s friends are changing, are somewhat corny and for me don’t fit into the overall tone of the film. However, pretty much everything else is executed to a very high standard. There isn’t a bad performance by the cast, and the performance of Stephen Graham as the psychopathic Combo is certainly a memorable one for myself and most likely the audience as well. The use of montage to set the time period is extremely captivating and well executed, and the Tarantino style ‘Jukebox’ soundtrack is not only very well chosen, but pushes forward the emotional impact of certain scenes very well, such as the scene in which Combo nearly kills Milky. An overall extremely enjoyable experience and a very well made film.

Memorable Scene

The most memorable scene for me has got to be when Combo kills Milky, as for me it finally confirmed his psychotic and unstable nature and disgusting attitudes towards other fellow human beings. The intimate close up on Combo’s shows how he goes from cheerful and talking to Milky about his family and how he could come round for dinner, to berating Milky with racial insults and then beating him to the brink of death. The moment that really sticks out for me is when he gets Shaun to help him haul Milky’s beaten body out of the room and he’s telling to not cry and be ‘a real man’, which just confirms to me his lack of empathy and most likely his lack of education.

Trainspotting

Trainspotting Micro Elements Task

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Mise-En-Scene

A memorable scene for me, in terms of mise-en-scene, is when Renton enters the ‘Worst toilet in Scotland’, as it is called in film. The disgustingness of the set design in this scene is most likely over-exaggerated by Todd Phillips, to not only make the audience feel disgusted by what they’re viewing, but to also portray to the viewers how damaging drug addiction is, as this character of Mark Renton is willing to use this extremely disgusting toilet, and later on in the sequence dives into the toilet to retrieve some drugs he’d dropped in toilet. The grimy toilet also adds to the verisimilitude of the film as, even though the filth is somewhat over exaggerated, the toilet does appear to be somewhat realistic. The sound within this scene also adds to the horrid scene we are seeing unfold before us, as there is no music, only the sounds of Renton’s relief as he finally goes to the toilet. This obviously adds to the disgusting tone of the scene as the audience has nothing else to listen too, so they are forced to hear this disgusting, yet simplistic, soundscape. The spacing at the beginning of the sequence is really effective. Boyle places Renton in the background, so that the audience can take in all the elements of the disgusting toilet, such as the broken urinals and the just the overall state of the toilet. The low key lighting within the scene only adds to the dinginess and horridness of the toilet scene and the setting of it. Ewan Mcgregor, the actor who plays Renton, ‘s make up in this scene and really the whole film, makes him appear more pale and worn out, due to his heroin addiction. This adds to the versimilitude of the film, as it makes it Mcgregor look like a drug addict.

Sound

The soundscape throughout the film is intentionally grotesque, to not only match the disgusting and borderline disturbing imagery shown in the film, but to also follow up on the film’s key message of showing the damage that drugs can have on people within society. The two key examples of sound that I find the most iconic and memorable is the scene in which Renton overdoses and the scene in which Renton goes to the worst toilet in Scotland. The first example is iconic due to the non-diagetic sound within the scene, that being the song ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Reed. This choice of song is amazing for a few reasons, the first being that taking heroin is Renton’s perfect day at this point in his life, as that is all he cares about. Another reason why it’s so amazing is that its ironic because Renton isn’t having a perfect day, as he could die from an overdose from heroin. This is an example of the film’s dark humour, another being Bigbe’s maniacal bar fight, where he lobs a pint glass over his head.

Cinematography

The cinematographer in Trainspotting is Brian Tufano and he uses wide angles and colour manipulation to convey to the audience the trippy psychedelic experience that the characters are under going due to heroin. He also uses wide and low angles, as well as worm’s eye low level movement and framing, to show the audience the lack of ambition and limited perspective that these characters have in their lives. Throughout the film, the way that Renton is framed portrays him as being alone and isolated. A good example of this the bar scene, in which Renton goes to the bar with his family and his mum wins the bingo. The sequence that ensues pictures Renton alone and unmoving, whereas his family, in fast motion, spend the night partying and spending their winnings. This shot/sequence, with Renton centered in the frame, solitary, really portrays how Renton currently feels without heroin in his life. He doesn’t currently care about anything, as he is without the one thing that made him have a ‘Perfect Day’. Heroin.

Editing

Throughout the film, the use of editing creates a particularly stylistic humour, which mainly involves irony and social realism. It also uses montage, such as the montage of London, to show a stylistically excessive representation of London. This may be used to portray to the viewer the feelings that the Scottish characters have towards London and England as a whole, which is that they view London as this place that’s culturally exciting, compared to the lacklustre environment of Scotland and how their culture is described as being old and behind by Diana. It also interestingly uses freeze-frames in the opening to introduce each of the characters in the film.

Trainspotting

‘Trainspotting’ 1st Response

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Critical score: 8.6/10

This film is extremely well made and is a true testament to British film-making. The cast are simply superb and the choice of songs in the Tarantino-esque jukebox style soundtrack are all chosen very well. A lot of the sequences to myself and most likely the audience are very memorable, such as the scene where he goes to the ‘worst toilet in Scotland’ and the hallucinogenic scene that follows. Another scene that I liked that is of the same ilk is the scene in which Mark Renton overdoses on heroin and sinks into the carpet and as he is taken to the hospital, his perspective of him being sunk into the carpet is still on the camera lens, which I think is very unique and interesting.

However, the film does feature a lot of disturbing images, which would be off-putting for some viewers. I, however, think that the grotesque imagery throughout highlights the messages of the film, which I think are to show the damage that drugs can cause to people and the people around them and the state of people in lower classes who are left to rot with no one around them.

Memorable Scene

For me the most memorable scene throughout the film is when the character Tommy is found dead, due to cat-related aids. Though this scene may be viewed as a moment of dark comedy in the film, to me it really exemplifies the character of arc Tommy, which is a perfectly innocent, healthy person, who’s life has dramatically changed and ended due to drugs. This once again pushes home that anti-drug message of the film.

Y12 Starter tasks

Summer Task – What makes a film good?

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If you to were ask the question what makes a film “good” to a group of people, you would most probably get a handful of different answers, as there are many ways to critique and view films. For example, one way someone may critique a film is through a realist approach. A realist would favour a film such as ‘Blair Witch Project’, with its shaky camera, “homemade” shots and characters which feel more like real people and not actors. Another way of viewing a film would be through the lens of mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene critiques would focus more on the environment and the features that contribute to the scene, such as the lightning and sets, and would therefore favour a film such as ‘Blade runner’ and the futuristic, urban environment that Ridley Scott creates with her picturesque shots. Alternatively, critiques may choose to criticize a film with the ‘auteur’(author) mindset, coming from the French film studies journal ‘Cahiers du cinema’ in 1951, which is where the critique will analyse a handful of the director’s films and try to pick out any stylistic repetitions that the director may display in their films, such as favouring a certain type of score in their films. A critique may also take a formalist approach when viewing a film. A formalist critique will look at how the composition of shots comes together, and how they juxtapose and compliment one another. They would enjoy a film such as ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, with its sequences of incoherent and surreal imagery-apes and embryos, during its ending. A popular way of critiquing forms of art, not just film, would be with a feminist viewpoint. In a film, a feminist critic would look at the amount of screen time that the female actors have been given, the way in which the women in the film are presented and common stereotypes depicted in the film, which means they would favour a film such as 2023’s ‘Barbie’, with its deep, underlying message that women can be whatever they want to be, independent from their relationship with a man. Finally, in my personal opinion I think that the view and way of critiquing a film which I most agree with is that of mise-en-scene, as I think that the features of a film that do make special and “good” are the atmosphere and the environment that the director creates within the world of the film.