Section C assesment 21.01.2018

The craft of creating a film, who’s narrative structure presents certain binary oppositions that when looked at in depth have connecitons to an ideological critical approach can sometimes be used to understand things like the reasoning for an auter’s methods and style per say.

In the Andrea Arnold film, Fishtank, one of the opposition that exist is the Youth vs. Adult oppsition that exists between character’s such as Mia and her mother, Joanne, or even some may interpret the relationship beteen Tyla and Mia to represent a Binary oppsition. However the more intriguing Youth vs Old binary conflict is the one between Mia and Conor, which throughout the film’s runtime progresses to become a maternal opposition, and eventually interfers with a seperate opposition - the one between Mia and Connor’s legitimate daughter. For instance, at first sight, Mia recognises Conor as a stranger - one which naturaly doesn’t to spend time with her out of his own intentions but only does so due to his romantic relationship with Joanne. The more time Conor spends with Mia, the closer they become, and therefore he develops a fatherly impression with her (which can be interpreted to be expected perhaps due to her legitmate father not being present for her childhood). When Conner leaves, the scar of her real father’s missprecense activates a hidden side of Mia, and when she discovers he has another daughter, Mia see’s Connor treating her the way Mia’s father never did. This results in envy, which Mia fosters and attempts to hurt Conner’s daughter phsyically rather than emotionally (the scen represent actual drowning instead of emotional). In conclusion, the way to understand Arnold for creating this opposition may relate to the lives less economically developed citizens have to live, where it is culturally commonplace to see some mothers become single parents when the maternal father or fatherly figure leaves. By forming such a binary opposition between Mia and Conner, Arnold attempts to display the true and existing diversity of people within these social groups, thus showing that these people cannot be generalised and viewed as indifferrent.

In We Need To Talk About Kevin, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay demonstrates the struggles of a mother raising a problematic child; one of the many binary oppositions which can be found in this film can be fammiliarized with the opposition discussed above in the Fishtank section: a parent vs child binary opposition. There are many differeneces between the relationship of Conner and Mia and the one of Eva and Kevin, such as the fact Eva is Kevin’s legitimate parent, whereas conner is not. However, the more important opposition is the opposition which also remains the impossible question in the film - Nature vs Nurtrure, is Kevin’s growth a result of Eva’s biological output or her method of upbringing Kevin? This opposition creates a discussion from Kevin’s birth to his imprisonment. Ramsay’s decision to implement such an opposiotn allows a spectator to embrace certain diegetic situations and analyse them to interpret their personal answer to this question. For example, to argue for nature Ramsey inserts Kevin’s birth scene, where Eva’s portrayl is demonic and manic, which when combined with the scene of her smoking during her pregnancy can suggest her mistakes led to a biological fault in the gestation. However, the scene where Eva throws Kevin agains the wall in anger, breaking his arm, can argue it was in fact enviromental influence which created Kevin the person he is.

Ramesy’s application of this opposition can show an insight into Ramsey’s attitude towards raising a child, which is affected by her personal experience of raising a child. Ramsey believes that as a mother, the Nature vs Nurture question is usually discussed, and is the reasons for why many mothers blame themselves when raising a child. To this, Ramsey shows the reality: No matter what is done, a parent can never truely be in control of the trajectory of their children.

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