Group Analysis - "We Need to Talk About Kevin"
The opening shot to this scene shows an open set of doors leading to a balcony. The white curtains are blowing in the wind which could represent restlessness; as the shot is at night. The mise-en-scene in this shot can portray connotations of freedom and the low key frontal lighting can represent holiness and peace. This symbolic lighting can be significant because it can portray a deeper meaning of the storyline. The shot slowly zooms on the curtains and fades to white. This can have connotations of a dream or a vision. The next shot is a birds-eye extreme long shot of people in Spain at a tomato festival which appears to be a flashback. This can have connotations of the past, and how the character that is being focused on is looking back at something. In the context of the story, the character is looking back at something she used to enjoy and reminiscing about the peak times in her life. The long shot is used because it shows the sheer amount of people that attended the event and the diegetic sound, which is people shouting and cheering, tells us that the event brings joy. A slow zoom on certain people in the crowd could tell us that there are people that need to be focused on with a certain level of importance; the main character.
A slow-motion birds-eye mid shot of the crowd shows us how the character remembers this event. It gives us connotations of communal joy and happiness. The colour red is dominant in this scene. This is significant because it can portray connotations love and passion but also death and blood. This is important because it can tell us about the storyline and an insight of what is to come. People jumping around and acting crazy tells us that the event is where people go to express themselves. As the camera pans and zooms to a close up of the tomatoes we can see tomatoes splashing. This could be a sign of the blood that will spill later on in the story.
The mise-en-scene in the next shot is significant because it shows items that are in the room of the main character. We know the last scene was a flashback or a dream because the setting is a dimly lit room and the character is lying down. The contents of the table near the bed have important connotations as they all relate to the storyline. The camera pan of the table shows a red candle, a half eaten apple and a bottle opener. Among other props, these items could show signs of neglect and stress. The bottle opener could signifying a drinking problem or the use of drink to suppress the stress. The half eaten plate of food could signify the neglect and the worry that has extinguished her appetite. The colour red in these close up shots is significant because it gives us connotations of death and blood, much like the tomatoes in the previous scene. The ketchup on the plate of food is a good example of this as it doesn't need to be there but the director has put it there to signify this.
An eye level mid shot is used at the end of this dolly shot of the contents of the table. The woman is shown lying down and the reason for the eye level shot is because it puts the audience on the same level as the character; sympathy is felt for the character because of the difficult position she is in. Very little sound is used in this scene as the director wants the audience to pay attention to the minor details. The sound used is mainly diegetic, the woman crying is the main focus of this scene. Eerie music can be heard in the distance but the audience is assured this is non-diegetic as the character doesn't react to it in the film. It is purely used to set the mysterious tone. A close up is shown of the woman's feet when she stands, this is shown because it gives the audience an idea of how weak she is and how difficult it is for her to stand, physically and mentally. Another reason for there being little sound is because when there is sound, it expressed the action and makes it much more poignant. An example of this would be when the pills are knocked onto the floor, stressing the significance of them in the story.
A long shot is used after the woman leaves the house to establish the location. Another technique used in this same shot is the rule of thirds. The woman is standing on the right third of the screen and the house fills up the rest. This is especially important because not only does it look good but it sets a distance between the character and what surrounds her; giving the audience a sense of mystery. It also subtlety expands the story. The camera shots later on in this same scene are handheld, giving connotations of madness and instability. The mise-en-scene is interesting because although the high-key lighting tells us that the scene should be happy and bright, the blood smeared on the car and the walls of the house tells us the complete opposite. Sound is important in this shot also as the diegetic sound of the birds tweeting and the wind blowing can give connotations of peace which can be ironic as the story suggests that there is no peace.
Another handheld mid shot and pan of the house the character has just entered can give us an idea of what the character is seeing; putting us in their position. The sound is all diegetic in this scene as it stressed the importance of the little girl sitting in the chair. She is singing and this could portray joy and happiness but we know from watching the film that this isn't the case. Smart use of editing and cinematography gives the effect that the woman is in the house but in reality she is just reminiscing about the house with the child in; this is a flashback. To conclude, this scene from the film has an ongoing tone of blood, death and danger. The washed out tone of the other colours in the scene makes the red colour dominant, appealing to the audience and creating this effect.
