During the Another World workshop we explored ideas surrounding the concept of ‘world’. We explored feature films that have very small or contained worlds and the following examples were mentioned:
Rope (1948)
Rear Window (1954)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Truman Show (1998)
Exmachina (2015)
The elements that make up each world is different, however the setting strongly influences the characters and the plot points of each film. All of these films have a confined setting, in Reservoir Dogs the film is almost entirely set in a warehouse, in Rear Window the action unfolds from the central character’s window and in Rope the film takes place in one apartment, supposedly in real time. These settings influence the characters actions and how they behave in those particular situations. The characters in these films are often layered with multiple hidden goals that conflict with other characters in the space, and often there are twists that reveal themselves during the course of the film. In Reservoir Dogs, there is an undercover police officer whose identity remains secret and is a source of tension for most of the film. Therefore, by analysing the different elements of films with similar themes, it can be seen how setting influences the characters, and how the characters are developed to often hide their true motivations which increases the tension throughout the film. Another good example of this is through another Tarantino film, The Hateful Eight (2016), released last year.
