Explore how far spectators respond both actively and passively to film. Illustrate your answer by close reference to your chosen film. (20 marks)
In the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, a spectator may respond both actively or passively to the film, interpreting different ideological viewpoints and aligning with the characters. Firstly, in terms of social representation that Beasts of the Southern Wild shows, it could be argued that poverty and in the Bathtub is glamorised and romanticised, inaccurately representing the reality of living in a community like the Bathtub, thus affecting the spectator to whether they engage actively or passively. A passive spectator may be guided to have limited reading of the film, unable to connect with the characters and struggle to relate to this way of living, disengaging with the celebrations and traditions of the Bathtub that we see in the montage of the opening sequence. This response from the spectator could potentially gloss over the negative way in which the adults, like Wink, are presented as drunk and mistreating of their children, for example when we see the babies crying in what appears to be a gambling race.
On the other hand, in terms of the representation of the Bathtub, it could be argued that an active viewer is more engaged with the socio-political contexts of the film, exploring the idea that the film wrongly presents healthcare workers as villains and exploits the US government for their aggression after the hurricane. For example, in the hospital sequence we are shown a longshot of Hushpuppy standing amongst other children and being shouted at by a healthcare worker. The use of the longshot gives the impression Hushpuppy is being distanced for her community and the society she knows to be real, showing her as alienated and portraying the workers negatively. An active viewer will engage to oppose this as the viewer will understand the importance of those health care staff and that their actions are not maliciously done, but rather to help the people affected by the storm, like Hushpuppy and Wink. Another instance when this is shown is through the use of a lingering closeup of Hushpuppy’s face as she is struggling to reach Wink while being restrained by the healthcare worker. Because of this closeup the spectator is guided by the camera to align with Hushpuppy’s raw unsettled and aggravated emotions, indicating to us that she is the victim and incorrectly suggesting that the care worker is the one causing this. As well as this the spectator may actively respond to the representation, in recognising how the US government workers are represented by white American males who appear unnecessarily aggressive and violent with the Bathtub dwellers. This links to contemporary political values, as there were many controversies to the lack of government response post hurricane Katrina, one being that a dominating percentage of the victims were from in low income areas and African American backgrounds, regarding to how the government was viewed as discriminative towards certain communities. For example, this could be seen in the hospital sequence as we are shown POV over the shoulder shots of the government workers, using high camera angles to look down upon the Bathtub dwellers as inferior and of lesser importance. Specifically, this scene uses heightened camera movement using a handheld camera to resonate the struggle which the Bathtub dwellers are facing and therefore sympathise more with their struggle.
Another way in which a spectator may respond both actively and passively to the film is through the idea that the world is seen from Hushpuppy’s viewpoint. A spectator may actively engage with this through cinematography, for example the audience is constantly aligned with Hushpuppy through handheld closeup camera shots and point of view shots at her eyelevel. As well as the use of using 16mm film stock to give the film a documentary and grainy style, the cinematography provides a sense of realism to Hushpuppy’s world and creates immersion for the spectator to relate more to her environment. As well as this the use of close sonic perspective of the animals’ heart beats as Hushpuppy holds them up to her ear, humanising Hushpuppy as a more emotional character and opposes the tough exterior which Wink tries to install in her growing up. The use of subjective positioning gives the spectator an insight to what the world looks like from inside Hushpuppy’s mind and therefore establishes a close relationship between her character and the audience. On the other hand, through the use of these film form elements the spectator may respond to Hushpuppy’s point of view passively, for example, when we are shown the Auroch’s in her dream. The use if magical realism shows how we are looking inside Hushpuppy’s imagination, in which the audience are left to their own interpretation of this. As a response the spectator may not necessarily align with anyone/anything, making it harder to relate or understand the significance of these creatures.
Emma Coe Film Studies 