Narrative Analysis of 'The Return'

Narrative Analysis of ‘The Return’

Narratives form a story via a structure, hence why it is essential for pieces of cinema to have some form of narrative. Conventional narratives have been identified by many theorists, some of which are incorporated into my film. In order to demonstrate and express narrative the following are effectively used; Mise En Scene, Sound, Camera (Angles/Shots), Editing and Lighting. Structures of narrative may be slightly unconventional and move between past and present events e.g. The Return as my film utilises this to give the audience insight into Ruby’s past.

One of the theories which have been integrated into my film is Vladimir Propp’s ‘Fairy-tale Narrative’. Vladimir Propp analysed a number of Russian Fairy tales and discovered a correlation, a consistent structure of certain events which when accumulated formed the Russian Fairy-tale. The Fairy tales he analysed even featured similar, if not the same characters; The Hero, Villain & Helper/Benefactor. These characters and sub characters types contributed to the narrative to create events, these events are repeated consistently through the tales he encountered although some events were not utilised in all the tales, the main events were inevitably shown in the same consistent pattern. The pattern of events prominently unfolds in this order;

-       -Hero leaves home

-        -The villain causes indirect harm to the Hero’s close group of friends within his social proximity

-        -Hero is introduced to the Benefactor who beholds something of importance and he/she is conventionally old

-        -The Hero must carry out a task

-        -Benefactor gives the ‘gift’ to assist the Hero in this matter

-        -Villain then carries out reconnaissance/spying

-        -Hero then conventionally engages in the Villain and suffers a direct loss of some shape or form (physical or mental)

-        -Hero encounters a group of friends/person who aids the Hero in this task

-        -Hero and Villain engage in combat

-        -The task successfully accomplished

-        -Villain/Villain threat neutralised

-        -Hero receives a reward (conventionally a girl’s love or affection)

These events can be identified within the film trailer I have created through Frankie taking the role of the hero and engaging in combat with the Villain however in the film this unconventionally ends ambiguously nevertheless combat occurs. Frankie suffers multiple blows from the Villain ‘Ruby’ who kills Chelsea and Jay both of which were close friends and most importantly Frankie loses Amy her sister.  Frankie identifies the task that must be carried out (to neutralise the Villain). However I have slightly subverted the theory via Frankie not necessarily being a ‘Hero’ as she did abuse her adopted sibling before her disappearance.

Tzeylan Todorov’s Classic Narrative Pattern Theory has also been incorporated in my film. He was a Bulgarian structuralist linguistic and similarly identified conventional narrative form in the 1960s. He suggested that stories begin with a status quo or Equilibrium in which an opposition force are in balance and have not attacked. This is then disrupted by an event which rattles the verisimilitude and engages a cause and effect pattern. The protagonist aims to restore balance to the verisimilitude by eliminating the villain and bringing clarity into the world of fiction. When stripped to bare-bones this theory essentially describes Beginning, Middle & End. He stated that they are structured so;

-State Of Equilibrium: This is the beginning of the narrative and everything is in balance and in everyday natural settings. This gives the viewer a opportunity to comprehend the characters and adjust to the general digesis/Verisimilitude. In my film this is demonstrated through a party scene where conventional characters are going about their generic activities, as the group of friends are Teenagers they are partying reinforcing the dominant hegemony.

-Disruption: This phase regards the characters enduring an unexpected event which has disrupted the Equilibrium of their lives or normality of it. This is entailed with a series of Cause & Effect events/chain reactions. The Villain prominently carries this disruption or is awakened. This occurs in my film through Frankie being persuaded to tell the story of her adopted sister Ruby, this is subverted as the Villain is usually responsible for the disruption.

-Recognition of Disruption: The character now have become aware of the disruption within the narrative verisimilitude or digesis. This is shown in my work through Amy and Frankie sensing something wrong or off point along with their group of friends feeling the same after the story told by Frankie last night and the car crash scene in which Henry and his friend have crashed their car as a result of the disruption Ruby has inflicted upon Frankie’s friends clearly displaying identifiable disruption.

-Attempt to Repair Disruption: Hero attempts to restore balance to the fiction verisimilitude which conventionally is done via direct combat between hero and villain as identified by Propp and is closely near the climatic ending of the film. This occurred in the late phases of my film where Frankie becomes enraged and ‘hunts down’ her adopted sister Ruby. However the next phase I did not abide by as conventionally as this stage.

-Reinstatement of the New Equilibrium: A new similar balance is restored and established via defeat of the Villain although not completely the same to the Outset Equilibrium. The main difference between this balance and the outset balance is that the Hero and surviving characters must live with their experiences with nothing being the same completely. Subversion of this stage occurred through me and my group’s decision to leave the film at a cliff hanger/avoiding a high degree of narrative closure (Pam Cook’s Hollywood Narrative Theory Reference), this is unconventional for a film although conventional within the Horror genre as the fate of the Villain and Hero is left by the director ambiguously for example the well-known slasher film ‘Halloween’ in which Mike Myers’s corpse towards the end of the film has not been discovered after dropping from a house ledge via him being shot leaving the viewer’s still feeling frightful (intended effect upon audience).

Moving onto more theories which have been utilised in The Return is Pam Cook’s Classic Hollywood Narrative. Pam Cook identified the generic or consistently used features within the Institutional Mode of Representation. ‘A linear narrative of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution. As demonstrated with the other narrative theories this fits in with my film as after the disruption a chain of cause and effect events have occurred which lead up to the inevitable encounter of the Villain. However subversion has occurred as I chose to leave the film at a cliff-hanger/ambiguous ending which did not resolve the enigma completely as the enigma (mystery) remains as to whether Ruby or Frankie have succeeded in eliminating the other.

Pam Cook also states that conventional films will utilise a ‘Fictional world governed by spatial and temporal verisimilitude’. This essentially means a realistic believable world the audience can relate to, with the relation inciting fear in the viewer as the danger is associated with an environment they deal with every day. This was carried out in my film through the use of realistic locales/locations or sets which are prominent in everyday life such as a London style house used in my film (haunted in the case of a Slasher), this effectively conveys a realistic setting to relate to providing the audience with an immersive viewing experience.

A ‘Centrality to the narrative agency of psychologically well rounded characters’ has also been identified by Pam Cook. This refers to conventional use of stereotypical characters who are human hence ‘psychologically well rounded characters’ which have been used in my film via reinforcement of dominant hegemonic ideologies or stereotypes e.g. Teens partying and getting drunk, driving recklessly and indulging in a reckless lifestyle in general with no care or remorse for others or themselves at times. Those dominant hegemonic values are mirrored and effectively reinforced in my film through the party scene and the brief sexual scene of Chelsea and Jay. Most importantly the aim of using flawed dislikeable characters who demonstrate stereotypical characteristics is so the audience can identify them as human or psychologically well rounded. However subversion of this theory occurs through the Villain being the complete opposite of psychologically well rounded as the objective in my film was to make Ruby as un-relatable as possible making her inhuman via her relentless killing of Frankie’s friends.

In addition ‘A high degree of narrative closure’ has been found by Pam Cook with conventional films ‘wrapping up’ loose ends or enigma codes (Roland Barthes cross theory reference) aka Mysteries. In horror films this is shown through only the final girl/protagonist surviving and the group of friends dead however in my film this occurs but we as the audience are unsure of Frankie the protagonist and final girl’s survival due to my decision to leave a purposefully ambiguous ending which subverts Pam Cooks theory in a slight manner although adherence to this theory has been relatively strict excluding this ambiguous ending throughout my film.

Finally Roland Barthes narrative theory is another theory which has been integrated into my film. Roland Barthes identified that in all stories there is the consistent feature of five codes which when accumulated, form the conventional narrative. The five codes are the following;

-        An Enigma Code (Mystery) which has been laid out. This is used in my film as the viewer of the trailer is unaware of Ruby’s motives to attack her sibling and her friends which is initially kept secret from the audience. This enigma code is sustained even after the end of the film as the ambiguous ending leaves the fate of the characters an enigma/mystery.

-        Semantic Code, which is the perspective in which the viewer spectates the events which are unfolding. This has been utilised in my film efficiently through ‘Point Of View’ and ‘Over The Shoulder Shots’ of Ruby whilst killing and hunting her victims (Neck snap scene) which are subjective shots to the character involved as we witness the events from this perspective, this was used to my advantage as I can make viewers feel uncomfortable with what they are watching as they are helpless to stop the slaughter occurring resulting in further audience engrossment in the film. However throughout the majority of the film the semantic code is in the perspective of Frankie.

-        Action Code, this is used to drive the narrative forward through key events. Without these key events there would be a lack of pacing in the film. In my film the party scene in which Frankie tells her friends about her adopted sister acts as a scene involving action code due to it driving the narrative forward with Ruby awakening as a result. Without this event there would be no narrative to ‘The Return’.

-        Referential Code, uses Mise En Scene and media language to refer to a larger ideology, analogy or description. This occurs through Frankie, the final girl who is ideally meant to be innocent, pure, ‘mumsy’ and virginal however this turns out to be not quite the case as she has abused her adopted sister prior to her disappearance which conflicts with the perceived role of a protective, kind and loving older sister.

-        Finally the Symbolic code uses Mise En Scene to provide symbolism. This is a key feature used in my film through Ruby’s knife which directly refers using symbolism to sexual connotations and the Barbara Creed Freudian theory of ‘Women as Monstrous’. The theory of ‘Women as Monstrous’ is essentially the threat of castration according to the Creed’s Freudian theory and the child’s ‘fear of it’ or Castration. This fear is developed between the pre oedipal phase and the Symbolic Order (phases of Freudian psychological child brain development). In my film the knife Ruby wields and utilises represented the phallus which in the theory displays the threat of Castration through the subconscious and displays the loss of masculinity. In addition to this, the fact that the male, Jay in the film is killed by Ruby, a female further demonstrates and reinforces the fear of castration within the film.