The Prestige - Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan also directed The Prestige which was released in 2006 and is part of the psychological thriller genre. The film is about two magicians (Borden and Angier) who are friends-turned-enemies and are both desperate to perform the best magic trick – so desperate that they will do anything, sacrifice anything to reach their goal.

The final scene is extremely well put together and the air of mystery that is a big part of the entire film remains throughout this sequence, capturing the audience’s attention. The slowly building music, composed by David Julyan, coupled with the voiceover of Michael Caine’s character, Cutter, creates suspense, showing us that a crucial piece of information is about to be revealed. A similarity to Inception is revealed when Borden is reunited with his daughter and the happy tones of the music evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer.  We are fooled into believing that everything is going to be okay. However the underscoring quickly darkens again, reminding us that not everything is as it seems.

Sound combines with mise-en-scene, creating a compelling and atmospheric environment in the last moments of the sequence. As Corrigan and White say; “One of the most subtle and important dimensions of mise-en-scene is lighting” (79) and lighting is especially important in this sequence. For example backlighting is used, creating silhouettes and shadows which work well with the murky tones of the score, setting the audience of edge. This unsettling feeling we experience is an essential part of the psychological thriller genre.

The final line of this ending sequence is; ““Now you’re looking for the secret, but you won’t find it because of course you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to work it out. You want to be fooled.” Spoken by Michael Caine’s character and combined with the spooky image of Angier, dead in a tank, I feel that this line sums up the essence of the psychological thriller. Even after watching the ending sequence of these films, we want to be left asking questions. We want to question the storyline and the director’s intentions. We don’t necessarily want everything to be tied up nicely.

The ending sequences of all four films discussed (Triangle, Shutter Island, Inception and The Prestige) all leave us wanting to know more and yet each gives us a sense of realization and wonderment. These are certainly films that you want to view more than once.

Inception - Christopher Nolan

Like the final scene in Shutter Island the last moments of Inception are very controversial. The audience is forced to question whether the main character, Dom Cobb, has finally made it home, into the real world, or whether he is actually still in a dream. These questions add to the mystery and horror that are important features of the psychological thriller genre.

                                                           

Inception was directed by Christopher Nolan and released in 2010. The plot is an intricate and mind-bending. Dom Cobb is enlisted on a mission to perform ‘inception’ – to plant an idea in the mind of Robert Fischer Jr, through his dreams. However, we soon learn that Cobb is beginning to lose track of what is reality and what is a dream, especially after the death of his wife, Mal.

Like in the two previous films, Triangle and Shutter Island, guilt is an important theme in Inception – in fact, Cobb’s mission is almost destroyed by his guilt-based projections of his wife in the dream worlds. Cobb believes he is responsible for her death as he performed inception on her which then resulted in her suicide. However Cobb is able to come to terms with what happened, especially when he reunites with his children in the ending sequence of the film.

This ending sequence is extremely powerful and again, is very different from Triangle and Shutter Island. Sound is extremely important in these final moments. There is not one scene in the whole of the film where sound is not used to enhance the stories atmosphere and this scene is no different. Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack evokes a powerful emotional reaction in the audience and the music featured in this scene, ‘Time’ is especially compelling. Corrigan and White state that; “Films that adhere to the principles of verisimilitude will use sound to amplify, as it were, what is taking place on the screen. Attention will be directed back to the characters, actions and mise-en-scene by sound that supports it.” (205) The music in the final scene certainly amplifies the action. As Cobb walks into his family home the music increases in intensity, creating a suspenseful tone. When Cobb finally sees his children the music softens, emphasising the tenderness of this moment. For a brief period of time, the audience believes that this is the happy ending they have been waiting for. However as the camera moves towards the spinning totem, which is what Cobb uses to tell whether he is in a dream or the real world, the music crescendos and then abruptly cuts out before the totem can stop spinning. This leaves the audience wondering if Cobb really found his happy ending – if he was really reunited with his children.

These questions about reality and the mind – what is real and what is not – are what make psychological thrillers so fascinating to watch and so thought provoking. The best kind of films are the ones you are left wondering about after the film is over, and Inception certainly does this. The storyline is so complex that in many ways, the second viewing is more satisfying than the first – and the same could be said of Triangle and Shutter Island.

Shutter Island - Martin Scorsese

The final scene of Shutter Island has been thoroughly debated by film critics and psychological thriller enthusiasts and yet there is still no firm answer to the big question this sequence poses: why would Teddy willingly go to receive a lobotomy?

Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese and released in 2010 is a meticulously constructed psychological thriller that creates a mind-bending experience for the audience. The plot centres around Teddy Daniels, a US Marshall, and his partner, Chuck, who are investigating a disappearance at a hospital for the criminally insane. However, we quickly learn that everything is not as it seems and that Teddy himself is actually a patient of the hospital, but has created a fictional world for himself so that he does not have to constantly relive the guilt he feels at murdering his wife after she killed their children.

Guilt was an important theme in Triangle – we saw how guilty Jess felt at how she had been treating her autistic son in the final scene and what the repercussions of this were – and it is even more evident in Shutter Island. Teddy feels guilty because he knew that is wife was having mental issues but because of his own problems with alcohol and post-traumatic stress, he did not do anything about it. We see the extent of this guilt in the final scene of the film. Teddy feels so unable to escape from his pain that he goes to get a lobotomy of his own free will, saying; “Which would be worse? To live as a monster? Or to die as a free man?” Many have questioned this line of the ending sequence, believing that Teddy really has reverted back to his fictional world. However, I believe Teddy has accepted the fact that he is a patient of the hospital but does not wish to accept this painful reality and wants to shut it all out by receiving a lobotomy. Despite his traumas, he is an intelligent man and recognises that those around him are assessing his condition. However, as mentioned in the previous post, this moment does make us question the rest of the film – an extremely important aspect of the psychological thriller genre.

The lack of underscoring in Shutter Island creates an interesting dynamic and makes it completely different from Triangle. We hear only the diegetic sound effects of birds in the background and grass being cut, creating a disconcerting atmosphere of tranquillity. The silence is rather eerie and makes the audience hold on to every word Teddy is saying. There is no dialogue at all as Teddy walks towards his fate yet this moment manages to completely capture the audience’s attention. Another interesting aspect of this moment is the mise-en-scene. Teddy walks away from the dark, grim looking buildings towards the bright, green, pleasant looking grounds. “Colour profoundly affects our experience and understanding of a film shot” (Corrigan and White, 114) and “contrasting balances…can create dramatic oppositions and tensions through colour.” (Corrigan and White, 116)The contrast in this scene is deceiving because it deludes the audience into believing Teddy is moving towards a better life when in fact he is about to be lobotomised.

 Like in Triangle the ending sequence of Shutter Island is extremely important in making the audience question the rest of the film and also wrap their minds around the events that have already happened. Future blog entries will continue to discuss some more of the common themes of psychological thrillers, such as guilt, the mind and reality.

Triangle - Christopher Smith

A psychological thriller “locate[s] the dangers and distortions that threaten normal life in the minds of bizarre and deranged individuals.” (Corrigan and White, 337) These films incorporate elements of horror and mystery that intrigue and confuse the audience. Themes such as the mind, guilt and reality are common themes, often portrayed in unique and fascinating ways that catch the attention of the viewer. The ending sequence of a psychological thriller is particularly important as it can change the whole meaning of the film in a few short minutes and leaves the audience with a lasting impression.

Triangle directed by Christopher Smith and released in 2009 falls into the category of a psychological thriller through its mysterious tones and complicated narrative. The story centres around Jess, a young mother with an autistic son who is forced to climb aboard a strange abandoned ship after a yachting trip goes awry.

The ending sequence of this film is extremely important in this film as many mysteries are revealed. Most importantly we learn that Jess abuses her son Tommy out of anger towards the fact he is autistic. This is a shocking revelation as we would not have expected this of Jess’s character, and it really sets the mood for the rest of the grim sequence.

Sound is an important element of the psychological thriller genre as it can create suspenseful or dramatic moods that impact the audience in different ways and help create a connection to the characters. As Corrigan and White state; “Music is a crucial element in the film experience; among a range of other effects, it provides rhythm and deepens emotional response.” (195) It is only in the ending sequence of Triangle that much of the rest of the movie begins to make sense, and the audience is hit with a sense of awe. Sound heightens these realizations the audience experiences and emphasises how shocking they are. For example the dark and spine tingling score, composed by Christian Henson, builds suspense as Jess sees herself yelling at her son and realizes she has been living the same day over and over again.  The music continues to build suspense in this ending scene, letting the audience know that the climax is coming and setting us on edge. This spine tingling feeling is one of the best parts of psychological thrillers and Triangle’s score captures this nerve wracking feeling perfectly. 

Another interesting aspect of sound in this final scene is when the underscoring falls completely silent, leading up to Jess killing the ‘other Jess’. “Music quite literally underscores what is happening dramatically” (Corrigan and White, 198) and the fact that this scene has no non-diegetic sound reinforces the brutality and horror of this moment and gives the scene verisimilitude – that is, having the appearance of truth.

Sound also combines with other elements such as editing and cinematography to make the end of this movie even more disturbing.  We see Jess’s counterpart violently hitting her son, Tommy and hear the asynchronous sound effect of the slap. This shot is juxtaposed by another shot of Jess standing outside the window. The guilt on her face as the camera zooms in is evident. The combination of the shock cut and sound effect in this moment creates a jarring effect that really stays with the viewer.

Triangle is an excellence example of a psychological thriller and the ending sequence is especially important as we learn that everything is not as it seems – that Jess has never been the perfect mother we assumed her to be at the beginning of the film. This sequence changes our whole perspective of her character and makes us question the entire film, which is an idea that will be discussed in future blog entries.