Film Opening Analyses
While the explicit directions are to analyze/discuss three openings of the same genre, I chose to look at openings that share general genre and plot elements with our film.
Midsommar (2019, dir. Ari Aster)
Midsommar was the first film that came to mind, as the film is quite similar to our plot in many ways. Midsommar focuses on the psychological effects of living in a cult, and similarly, the village in our film is centered on Catholicism, resembling a cult when looking at the village's practices and social dynamics. Further, the protagonists of each film experience great family trauma before being integrated into the cult lifestyle. These similarities drew me to the film, as I was curious if I could draw any inspiration from its opening.
I would like to first focus on the sound. The scene opens with eerie and dissonant strings, immediately creating a sense of discomfort in the viewer. These strings are paired with extremely dark visuals and the flashing red lights of a firetruck, establishing the dark tone of the film and indicating danger. While further details are being revealed to the viewer on the nature of the familicide and suicide, more string instruments start to enter. The music continues throughout the rest of the opening.
Camera movement and techniques are essential to establishing the tone in the opening. The shots of the firefighters entering and searching the house are slightly slowed, with the camera movements also being slow and smooth. To me, it feels as if I have PTSD and am reliving a terrible memory, not unlike Dani, the protagonist. The camera slowly closes in on Terri, showing the state of her body after death in extreme detail. A few shots later, the camera closes in on Dani as her boyfriend consoles her, the camera movement and composition a direct mirroring of the shot with Terri. Dani's pain is felt by the viewer, as they are reminded of the gruesome nature of Terri and her parents' deaths.
This opening does well to establish the context behind Dani's PTSD and her later joining of the cult, and to establish the tone of the film. I would love to use slow-motion shots in my own production to represent flashbacks, as they create an image in the mind of the viewer that stays and also adds to the dreamlike quality I am aiming for in these sequences. However, I would like to use the technique to instead associate the images with good memories of the past, adding to the pain our protagonist will feel with the death of her mother. I can also take inspiration from the low-key lighting used in this opening, perhaps also incorporating colors to convey certain emotions.
Blue Velvet (1986, dir. David Lynch)
Blue Velvet is a psychological thriller leaning heavily into the psychology of the main characters. The film itself is based on Freudian psychology, specifically the idea of the ego, superego, and id, which are different aspects of the human psyche. The ego is the conscious part of the human psyche, in which we approach the world, balancing our morals and instincts with the constraints of the natural world. The superego is our moral values; the 'superhero' inside of us. The id is our suppressed human, animalistic instincts.
Jeffrey Beaumont, our protagonist, represents the ego, as he struggles with his own morals and instinctual impulses while also struggling with the antagonist Frank, who represents the id.
Freudian psychology and themes of sexuality are explored in depth and in the darkest manners in this film, which is completely juxtaposed by the film's colorful and unassuming opening. The vibrant colors and innocence of the townspeople in the beginning of the opening represents human society on a surface level. The camera, however, later descends below the grass, showing the nastiness that lays as the basis for human society.
A sequence of shots first showing children crossing the street, followed by two shots of the protagonist's parents can be seen to represent Freud's Oedipus Complex, which is the theory that all children have an underlying attraction to the parent of the opposite sex, and showing aggression to the parent of the same sex. This idea is later reflected in the antagonist, Frank, who has a sexual relationship with Dorothy that represents his incestuous attraction to his own mother. Jeffrey becomes Dorothy's lover and they are discovered by Frank, who displays intense aggression towards Jeffrey (who in this situation would represent Frank's father, as he is the lover of Frank's "mother"), the second half of the Oedipus Complex.
Another shot shows Jeffrey's father suffering a mysterious injury and falling backwards onto the ground. As he does this, the hose he is holding sprays water into the air and the family dog comes to drink the water, unconcerned with the father who is writhing in pain. This can be seen to represent the id, which aims to act on instincts without concern for societal norms or others.
This opening is filled with symbolism representing Freudian psychology, and is a technique I aim to utilize in my production. I plan to use the presence of fire to represent moving on in life, even if unwillingly or in a harmful manner. Interestingly enough, the presence of fire is often used in the Bible to represent the presence of God. Our hypothetical film will lean heavily into Christian themes and the protagonist's rejection of Christian beliefs and practices. The use of fire to represent something other than the presence of God will also represent the protagonist turning away from God. The protagonist will also later begin to worship herself. This exaltation of herself as her own god also reflects in the fire, as she is now her own 'God', and 'God' is present.
Love Exposure (2008, dir. Sion Sono)
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| (I could not find a video of the film's opening, however the full film can be found online) |
I did not realize how similar the religious and psychological themes of Love Exposure were to our film idea until I rewatched its opening sequence. Some of these similarities include: a focus on Christianity, turning from christianity after a traumatic event, a father who devotes himself to the cross following the death of his loved one... I am sure my mind subconsciously took from many aspects of this film in the production of my dream which inspired our film, as Love Exposure had a lasting impact on me after my original viewing. After viewing the film's opening sequence again, I am left with that same feeling. That is what I aim to do with our film's opening.
Love Exposure's opening focuses on the protagonist's (Yû) relationship with his mother before her death, and how she was his connection to religion. One of the last things Yû's mother tells him before her death is, "(Virgin Mary,) Find a woman just like her to marry." This connects the religious themes with the main idea of the film, being Yû's quest to find a woman like the Virgin Mary. The opening also does well at concisely establishing the context behind his dad's new life as a priest and Yû's eventual obsession with committing sins and the perversion of innocence.
The religious tones are intensified by the choir music playing in the background throughout the entirety of the scene. The music itself is intense in nature, and combined with the overt Catholic imagery, it is made obvious that religion is one of the major focuses of the film.
The warm and dreamlike colors and lighting create a sense of nostalgia, and are reflective of Yû's love for his mother.
Interestingly enough, this opening also shares similarities with Blue Velvet's opening in that an allusion to the Oedipus Complex is set up in the opening of the film. Yû compares his mother's beauty to the beauty of the statue of the Virgin Mary. His mother later tells him to find a woman like the Virgin Mary, indirectly comparing his attraction to his mother to the attraction he would eventually look for in a woman. Yû would go on to display aggression to his father later in the film, rejecting his wishes for Yû to live a Holy life. Interesting.......
It is visually and stylistically that I am most drawn to this film. However, the context of the film is masterfully developed in this opening, and it provides the main themes both visually and through dialogue and interactions, which is something I wish to accomplish in my film opening.
"I can't seem to escape Freud. I see him everywhere. What is with these directors and their Oedipus Complex obsession? Ugh." -Jd
Sources:
The Oncoming Storm. (n.d.). [Midsommar - Opening Titles] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn3ucq_h9xY
A Film Channel. (n.d.). [Blue Velvet - Opening Sequence] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwuzI8Y0uW0
Immy. (n.d.). Id, ego, and superego. Immy. https://www.immy.com.au/post/id-ego-and-superego
Zhu Yuzhou. (2021). Analysis on the Freudism in David Lynch’s film Blue Velvet. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351872781_Analysis_on_the_Freudism_in_David_Lynch's_Film_Blue_Velvet/fulltext/60ae439992851c168e413930/Analysis-on-the-Freudism-in-David-Lynchs-Film-Blue-Velvet.pdf
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