The Distinctive Pleasures and Independent Features - Research Paper Example

What kind of distinctive pleasures are offered by independent features, and how might these be understood? Answer with close reference to two examples. Introduction The definition of what makes a film “independent” has been difficult to clarify with polarised opinion on whether independent status depends on finance or alternatively Andy Warhol’s nihilistic perception of “independent” as meaning opposition to the dominant media on several fronts (Levy, 1999). The latter view includes technological medium, the undermining of corporate Hollywood institutional filmmaking, aesthetic in terms of avant garde cinematic storytelling and economic and political by exploring controversial and disenfranchised subject matters (Levy, 1999). Indeed, King highlights that the narrative of the independent film often subverts genre, thereby heightening viewer empathy with characters in contrast to the Hollywood approach, which would support the Warhol perception of independent film (King, 2005). The subversion of the formulaic approach of Hollywood has attracted a wider demographic and the growing development of independent cinema is further highlighted by the overlap of nominated films at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Independent Feature Project Stage and the Academy Awards and the Independent Spirit Wards (Sconce, 2002). For example, in 2006, Ang Lee won both the Oscar and the Spirit award for the direction in Brokeback mountain, arguably obfuscating the distinction between independent films and Hollywood films with the “indiewood” effect (Tzioumakis, 2006). However, Rombes argues that “the coincidence of films does point to a phenomenon in contemporary (particularly) American filmmaking, which is yet to be critically evaluated in any sustained way” (Rombes, 2005). Indeed, Nicholas Rombes’ collection of essays further develops this point by addressing contemporary film culture and raises the possibility of the evolvement of socio-political conceptualisation through what he terms as a “cinematic avant garde”, which attracts viewers against the backdrop of formulaic Hollywood films overtly focused on commercial success (Rombes, 2005). As such, it is submitted that the underlying concept of “subversion” in independent cinema is clearly a central distinctive pleasure in American independent cinema, contributing to its growing popularity. However it is this very phenomenon that has led some commentators to argue that the distinction between independent cinema and Hollywood has become merely theoretical. John Jost argued that “it is likely fair, then to write the obit of the American independent on the wall in any form distinguishable from Hollywood – if not today, then tomorrow” (In Holmund & Wyatt, 2004), which suggests the commercialisation of independent film to the Hollywood model. Alternatively, Chris Holmlund and Justin Wyatt prefer to characterise independent filmmaking as a separate phenomenon that has gradually evolved since 1910 (Holmund & Wyatt, 2004). The focus of this analysis is to critically evaluate the distinctive pleasures offered by American Independent cinema and consider whether the resultant success of the independent medium has resulted in the redundancy of the independent v Hollywood model. In undertaking this evaluation, I shall refer to Passion Fish (Sayles, 1992) and 21 Grams (Gonzalez Inarritu, 2003). BACKGROUND, HISTORY & CRITICAL OVERVIEW The overriding objective of this paper is to evaluate the distinctive pleasures offered by American Independent cinema with reference to two examples. It is submitted at the outset that it is necessary to briefly consider the gradual shift in filmmaking in independent cinema and the distinctive pleasures offered by the medium as a contextual backdrop to the discussion of Passion Fish and 21 Grams. Firstly, Rombes argues that the success of independent cinema came to the fore in the mid 90s when “a series of films from around the world began to emerge that challenged, or at least radically revised, many of the narrative and aesthetic codes that governed mainstream Hollywood fare” (Rombes, 2005). Rombes further refers to films such as The Idiots, Fight Club, Run Lola Run, Timecode, Gummo and the Blair Witch Project in support (Rombes, 2005). Rombes further highlights the distinctive pleasure of these films stemming from the inherent eclectic nature of subject matter outside narrow mainstream genre categories. He further highlights this through the use of an analogy with punk music, which Rombes asserts is “something more than musicianship” (Rombes, 2005). Rombes’ argument ties into Sconce’s view that the growth in popularity of independent cinema is rooted in the attitude and style of the film, which is akin to Rombes’ punk music simile, challenges perceptions and created an avant garde means of cinematic storytelling (Sconce, 2002). Sconce further argues that this influence can be seen in independent films such as Memento, Requiem for a Dream and American Beauty, which further highlights the argument that the distinctive pleasure of American independent cinema is the very nihilism of the mainstream format (Sconce, 2002). Sconce further argues that the rang of these films further reflected a shift in film making and reflected an interesting shift from the dominant tendencies of a conservative mass media format to the consideration of lateral socio-political issues within the culture (Sconce, 2002). Indeed, from one aspect the subversion of the neo-conservative formula, characterisation and narrative in independent cinema arguably symbolises cultural, generational and societal change particularly in context of the success of such films, through the representation of multi-ethnic subject matters and disenfranchised perspectives (Bordwell, 2006). Moreover, this proliferation of independent films arguably provides an insight into social problems and more personal issue within the dominant culture by dramatising situations that bear upon various ambits of a psychosocial experience and encounters with modern life (King, 2005). Indeed, it is submitted that a distinctive pleasure of the independent film is the ability to address such diverse subject matters reflecting the cultural diversity of America often ignored in mainstream cinema. As such, whereas the argument that independent cinema or the “Indiewood” effect has effectively eroded the distinction between the independent/Hollywood paradigms it is evident that the alternative indicates that the popularity of the medium has not entirely eroded good films in the mass media format. These indicate that blockbuster and American independent cinema has not entirely washed way good films. Moreover, the rich and often novel narrative trends of independent films have permeated mainstream cinema with the proliferation of complex narrative structures (Holmlund & Wyatt, 2004). This has further led to novel forms of cinematic storytelling, such as the visual techniques in pulp fiction or the rearranged chronologies in 21 Grams. Alternatively, forked narratives and parallel stories such as Sliding Doors have incorporated the distinctive pleasure of the independent film; namely subversion of the narrative. This further incorporates novel narrative forms, achieving an inherently aesthetic appeal (Bordwell, 2006). It is further argued that this strategy in mainstream cinema is a hallmark of American independent cinema (King, 2005). Indeed, complex narratives are often rooted in independent cinema, which has now “supplanted foreign art cinema as the most prominent feature film alternative to Hollywood, offers appeals that are distinct from those in mainstream cinema” (King, 2005). It is further commented that one element of this is the formal complexity of independent films, often taking on the aesthetics of a classic play structure as evidenced by the structure of 21 Grams. This is not only further engaging than the mainstream aesthetically, but the complex narrative structures incorporating wider socio-political and cultural issues further provide an interesting alternative to the mainstream format (Levy, 1999). In the independent film, notwithstanding the eclectic and experimental nature of the cinematic format, the common underlying thread is often the characterisation. This is often complex and highlighted as a central feature attracting audiences to independent film in contrast to Hollywood film where action, plot and instant thrills take precedence (Dreyfus, 1991). Directly tied to this is the complex plot structure of independent cinema as evidenced by Passion Fish and 21 Grams, which I shall now consider in further depth. PASSION FISH AND 21 GRAMS Both films are similar in telling the story of dramas with forking narratives amongst characters from different backgrounds. On the one hand Passion Fish follows a chronological trajectory, whereas 21 Grams is structured with parallel narrative of flashbacks and flash-forwards, plunging the audience into initial confusion, with the gradual development into a coherent story. Passion Fish begins with the central protagonist May Alice recovering from an accident, which leaves her severely paralysed. After rehabilitation, she moves to rural Louisiana to live in her family’s old house. May-Alice is alone and bitter at this point, which is further reflected by her treatment of the many nurses who fail to last in a job looking after her. At this point, the second central character Chantelle is introduced as May-Alice’s care nurse determined to succeed at the job. Up until this point and overall, the film follows a gradual pace focusing on character development. The two central love interests are not even introduced until half hour into the film. However, this technique is extremely effective as a narrative tool in lulling the audience into a sense of expectation, which is confounded by the unexpected twists later in the film. In contrast, 21 Grams is chaotic and begins with short scenes and whilst the snippets hint at connections between the people introduced, there is no clear indication of a correlation between the snatched 8 moments. Moreover, the scenes do not follow chronological order, directly involving the audience in deciphering the connections and forcing us to ask questions. Whilst in stark contrast to the pace of Passion Fish, both films highlight the trend of independent cinema to directly involve the audience with the trajectory and become involved with the characters. Moreover, both films provide the unexpected twists highlighting the central attraction of independent cinema. For example, in the introduction of 21 Grams, many key events between the scenes are omitted, which perpetuates the consistency of confusion and ambiguity throughout the film. Similarly, Passion Fish creates the same impact through different means thereby highlighting the beauty of freedom in independent film storytelling. In both films, subversion of the narrative structure creates an enigma, which engages the audience. This in turn creates the distinctive pleasure from mainstream cinema of working out explanations and how events are connected (Johnson, 2001). In 21 Grams this activity is different from Passion Fish in the sense that whilst no apparent enigma is created, the narrative text takes on a digressive, somewhat rambling approach, which aesthetically appears detached from the content. As such, the aesthetic maze of 21 Grams appears unbreakable, whereas the involvement of the audience in Passion Fish renders the trajectory penetrable. Moreover, in a reversal of the plot narration in Passion Fish, the narration of 21 Grams appears inherently complex, with the flashbacks and flash forwards creating an aesthetic chaos, which in turn reflects the textured subject matter of the film. 21 Grams subverts and provides snatched, discursive pieces, almost photographic, which forces the audience to participate to a greater degree than the archetypal mainstream blockbuster. The distinctive pleasure of this narrative format derives from the audience hypothesising from the outset in order to fill the blanks. The efficacy in engaging the audience is further heightened by the constant twists and surprises in the film. Notwithstanding the stark contrast in approach, both films highlight the efficacy of the independent film in reflecting the multifarious emotions of reality, which is further reflected through the often socio-cultural subject matter of such films (Johnson, 2001). Moreover, a key element in effective cinematic storytelling is withholding and the time scrambling technique in 21 Grams further frustrates spectators in wanting to fill in the missing spaces. The narration is prominent to the point of drawing attention away from the story line and instead focuses on the telling of the story (Johnson, 2001). This creates a sense of immediacy with the feeling of seeing a story unfold as it happens. The narrative complexity contrasts with Passion Fish on a purely aesthetic level due to the chronological trajectory. However, the underlying trend of complexity in independent films is symbolised by the complex characterisation in Passion Fish. As such, the character complexity arguably symbolises complex narrative as we learn more about the characters. For example, in the opening scene of Passion Face, the central character May-Alice is introduced to the audience in her hospital bed watching daytime soaps and we learn that she used to be in the soap and is watching the actress cast in her role. Through this introduction, the scenario is set up with May-Alice as the victim. This introduction highlights a key distinctive pleasure of independent cinema in not only subverting storytelling techniques, but subverting genre and other cultural issues as a subtext. For example, the introductory scene of a character in a hospital bed is familiar to the audience from television drama including soaps of which May-Alice was a part as an actress. The objective of soaps is often to provide escapism to the audience. However, the reality of May-Alice’s life is highlighted through her paralysis and the theme of being an outsider from her world outside the soap. As such, this subverts the genre along with the character’s expectations through the use of familiarity, which is a key tool in independent filmmaking (Sternberg, 1978). In contrast to mainstream story telling, the film underlines stark social realism. This is highlighted by the depiction of May-Alice’s character as angry, cold and sarcastic in her treatment of everyone. However, when Chantelle arrives, Passion Fish further subverts character stereotypes through race and class symbolic stereotypes. The interaction of the characters presents a familiar scenario of a class and race struggle, which is further subverted into a story of mutual understanding. However, the drama is withheld in order to create an anticipatory effect and gradually develops. For example, Chantelle’s revelation regarding her personal life and her upper class background forces the audience to re-evaluate its own stereotypes and expectations, which is a key element of independent films. Indeed, 21 Grams through an unconventional cinematic format creates the same effect in the trick of the narrative (Bordwell, 2006). To this end, both films highlight the efficient tool in independent filmmaking of creating suspense through subverted narrative and the inversion of character archetypes (Bordwell, 2006). For example, whilst Chantelle’s revelation is familiar in mainstream drama, the narrative structure and subversion of racial stereotyping heightens the surprise of her secret to the same effect of the unravelling of the story in 21 Grams. The simplicity with which Passion Fish approaches Chantelle’s secret intensifies the story and audience involvement, which in turn is key to plot development in the relationship between May-Alice and Chantelle. 21 Grams eventually develops into a basic format that is user friendly as Paul and Christine’s romantic relationship develops. Jack adds complexity to the story along with the juxtaposition of his criminal past and current conversion to Christianity. The multidimensional nature of characters in independent cinemas further engages the audience by reflecting complex socio-political issues. Additionally, Paul’s wife adds further depth to the complexity of relationships within the film. Paul needs a heart transplant and Christine’s husband is the donor. As the pieces of the story start to come together, the narrative subverts again with a series of flash forwards, leaving open questions regarding the character motivations with scenes of Paul and Christine together planning to kill someone. This is further confused by a scene at the beginning of the film, where the three central protagonists Paul, Jack and Christine are in a hotel room where Paul has been wounded by a gunshot. This heightens interest and audience hypothesising about the events in the film. Half an hour into the film, the plot further unravels as we learn that Paul needs a transplant, Jack has run over a man and his daughters and the man is Christine’s husband and children. Her husband’s heart goes to Paul, which saves Paul’s life and we then get flash forwards, leaving character motivations unsolved. However the parallel between both Passion Fish and 21 Grams highlights the independent film trait of taking the audience deeper into a harrowing story with a lasting effect in contrast to the instant thrill of the action driven blockbuster. With the independent film, the audience is taken into a snapshot of social realism, reflecting real life where there is not always a conclusion or a happy ending. The independent film approach of both films demonstrates the trend of American independent cinema to flaunt gaps in the narrative and segment the structure into a play like format of three acts as evidenced by 21 Grams. If we develop this analogy further, the first act focuses on the accident and the consequence, the second act is about Jack’s descent into hell and Paul and Christine’s relationship and the final act is about Paul and Christine’s plot to kill Jack. Similar to Passion Fish the independent film is the master of focusing on the consequence of actions. However, whilst mainstream cinema clearly depicts cause and effect, the experimental nature of the independent narrative is more convincing and heart warming as a cinematic experience. Whilst both films are polar opposites, the compelling nature of Passion Fish lies in the audience involvement in the character’s stories, which challenge our expectations and original perspectives. The underlying basis for this is the subversion of character categorisation and is to focus on the relationship between the two central protagonists Chantelle and May-Alice. We initially expect the class and race issues to be at play, however Sayles overrides this through the depiction of additional types of understanding of character and the undermining of stereotypes, in line with Sconce’s assertions of “nihilism” in the independent American “smart film” (Sconce, 2002). Moreover, whilst May-Alice has suffered the injuries, the parallels between her and Chantelle become apparent as Chantelle is going through a recovery whereby May-Alice is helping her and giving her an opportunity to grow into herself. We further begin to see the individuals as unlikely allies and friends, thereby breaking down the barriers of class and race again. Moreover, the character and narrative subversions in independent cinema are often more extraordinary than Hollywood films (King, 2005). They have more contradictory traits or more complex combination of traits, which frustrates stereotypes, thereby engaging the audience into the plot and story as opposed to quick fix entertainment formats of Hollywood films into entrenched genre slots geared towards box office sales. Whilst frustrating such formats, the independent cinema trend’s appeal adds to audience interest and Passion Fish and 21 Grams are prime examples of this. For example, in Passion Fish the central journey of the main character’s relationship with Chantelle is a subversive narrative reversing expectations and forcing audience to reassess their subconscious stereotyping. At first, Chantelle’s role is symbolic in taking care of May-Alice as her carer, however, the development of their relationship demonstrates that Chantelle is need of healing and May-Alice looks after her. Whereas, 21 Grams constantly surprises and illicit audience questions and creates surprises with various twists and turns through cinematic storytelling; the slow progression of Passion Fish creates the same result as through narrative reversal we learn that Chantelle is a recovering drug addict and has lost her child in a custody battle. As such, the parallels are highlighted between two characters traditionally polarised by class and race barriers. The beauty of independent cinema in focusing on deeper issues and character narratives enables more sophisticated storytelling and preserves the historical tradition of the fictional mode. Moreover, the distinctive viewing pleasure of these American “smart” films is being faced with multidimensional characters that are contradictory (Sconce, 2002). Whilst the issues raised in Passion Fish and 21 Grams can be uncomfortable viewing, the audience can relate to these greater than the formulaic characterisation of Hollywood introducing new types, utilising the cause and effect approach (Johnson, 2001). For example, May Alice is forced to deal with her past and Chantelle becomes her surrogate family, which highlights the changing social dynamic of the “family” in contemporary culture. Moreover, Chantelle’s characterisation comprises various genre stereotypes as a working class black woman, which is confounded by the revelation of her secret and the vulnerability in her relationship. The parallels between the two characters in Passion Fish shifts the power imbalance of the nurse/patient relationship into a symmetry of the two characters who are both undergoing recovery of sorts. Additionally, the film follows the real life format of not providing the happy ending required of Hollywood films as the film concludes with both women together, with uncertainty as to the status of the romantic sub-plots, which in turn reflects the complexity of real life. The above analysis highlights that the central distinctive pleasure of the independent film is the subversion of genre, characterisation and narrative. To this end, the independent film confounds formulaic Hollywood and focuses on providing heart warming stories often tackling complex and sensitive subject matter. The success and growth of this industry is testament to the efficacy of such a shift in filmmaking, which engages the audience and involves the audience in direct participation with an increasingly socially realistic cinematic experience. This is further highlighted by the films Passion Fish and 21 Grams, which both subvert the Hollywood model in terms of content and form. Whilst the dichotomy between the subject matter of both films and structure is obvious, the underlying foundation of both films highlights the distinctive pleasures of American independent cinema. Passion Fish utilises the conventional storytelling approach to subvert plot and characterisation, whereas 21 Grams adopts a novel cinematic approach to storytelling. However, both mediums create heart wrenching snapshots of bleak reality for many, without the happy ending. As such, the trajectory reflects real life and forces the audience to re-evaluate expectations and hypotheses depending on the subject matter of the film, which is the key distinguishing feature underlying the growing success of independent film. BIBLIOGRAPHY David Bordwell, Narration in the Fiction Film, Routledge 1985 David Bordwell, “Subjective Stories and Network Narratives”, in The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies, University of California Press, 2006 Claudia Dreyfus, “John Sayles” Progressive 55.11, pp.30-33 (1991) Chris Holmlund, “Introduction: From the Margins to Mainstream”, in Chris Holmlund and Justin Wyatt (eds), Contemporary American Independent Film: From the Margins to the Mainstream, Routledge 2004. Jim Hillier (ed.), American Independent Cinema: A Sight and Sound Reader, BFI, 2001. Trevor Johnson “Sayles Talk” in Hillier (ed), 215-219 2001. Geoff King, American Independent Cinema, I.B. Taurus, 2005, “Introduction: How Independent?” Emmanuel Levy, Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film, New York University Press, 1999 J. J. Murphy, “Harmony Korine’s Gummo: The Compliment of Getting Stuck with Fork”, Film Studies: An International Review, 5. Winter 2004. Nicholas Rombes, Traditions in World Cinema. Edinburgh 2005 Jeffrey Sconce, “Irony, nihilism and the new American “smart” film”, Screen, 43, 4 Winter 2002. Kristin Thompson & David Bordwell, Film History: An Introduction, McGraw-Hill, 1994, various parts of “Part Four: The Postwar Era, 1946-1960s” for background on earlier movements such as neorealism, direct cinema Yannis Tzioumakis, American Independent Cinema: An Introduction, Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Meir Sternberg “Expositional Modes and Temporal Ordering in Fiction” Bloomington: Indiana University Press 1978. FILMOGRAPHY Passion Fish (1992). John Sayles 21 Grams (2003) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu American Dream (1990) Barbara Kopple & Cathy Caplan American Beauty (1999). Sam Mendes Requiem for a Dream (2000) Darren Aronofsky Sliding Doors (1998) Peter Howitt Run Lola Run (1999). Tom Tykwer Blair Witch Project (1999) Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez Fight Club (1999) David Fincher The Idiots (1998) Lars Von Trier Brokeback Mountain (2005) Ang Lee Read More