It seems strange to say that a setting can be a character. After all, environments have no agency, motivation, or decision-making capacity. A setting, on the other hand, can be more than a picturesque backdrop to settings and conversations. Indeed, settings are so integral to the DNA of a film that changing them can ruin the entire story.
Good use of the setting can tell the audience everything there is to know about the character. The setting can be used to explain the hot and inevitable oppressions and expectations that movie characters live through. in the mood for loveor reflect the character’s dubious sliminess as it is night crawler.
“Lost in Translation” (2003)
once famous actorBill Murray) and female (scarlett johansson) Feeling neglected by her husband, she strikes up an unlikely friendship when their paths cross at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The suffocating pressures of life meet an equally suffocating sense of loneliness. Sofia Coppolaof lost in translationThese two concepts are best embodied in a city as crowded as Tokyo, where you can’t help but feel invisible in a sea of anonymity.
lost in translation The setting is fully developed to reflect and express the unique loneliness felt by the protagonist. Due to stagnant careers and relationships, you struggle to feel seen, even though you are often surrounded.
“Collateral” (2004)
An unsuspecting taxi driver has to spend a long night as a hitman driver around Los Angeles. collateral.movie star Jamie Foxx When tom cruise Each somewhat defies type as the down-on-his-luck cab driver and the cool, calm, collected bad guy. The battle type is also set.
Los Angeles is a frequent movie star. It’s a hub for filmmaking, but that’s not the only reason it’s a popular setting. LA has always been a recognizable place.Its smog expanse is all too familiar, but whether that familiar face looks smooth, dirty, or menacing is up to the filmmaker who captures it. Michael Mannhe chose all of the above if collateral.
“In the Mood for Love” (2000)
When two neighbors discover their spouses are having an affair, they forge a friendship and, despite the intensity of their feelings for each other, attempt to resist the urge to initiate an affair. Set in 1970s Hong Kong, in the mood for love With the director, worthy of its title Wong Kar Wai It perfectly captures the unique, stuffy mood throughout the film.
A city of heat, humidity and claustrophobia attacks Mr. Chou (Tony Leon) and Mrs. Chang (Maggie Cheung) as well as the social pressures of the time. Stacked on top of each other in an overcrowded city, they always have their eyes and expectations on them. Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Zhang live in a rented apartment where their gossiping and observant landlord is always at their doorstep, and they can barely admit their feelings to themselves, let alone those around them.
“Fear Awakens” (1971)
Sydney school teacher (gary bond) descends into madness and self-loathing when stranded in a small, rough town in the Australian outback. wake up with fear It’s defined by that setting and about that setting at the same time. In particular, he was struck by the contrast between the 70’s Australian metropolis and the Australian outback.
City dwellers have a desire to distance themselves from typical Australian behaviors and interests (referred to as ‘Australian cultural cramps’) and turn their noses to the decidedly unmodern way of the outback. wake up with fear We explore if this class and cultural distinction is real, or if we’re all wild and ready in the Australian outback, or if we’re just trying to deny our most basic instincts. .
“Nightcrawler” (2014)
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Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a dangerously ambitious man who begins filming crimes and car accidents all over Los Angeles and makes money selling the footage to local news stations. night crawlerThe LA setting is more than just a cinematic look. It shares key traits with Lou, in addition to offering a sprawling, seedy, and dangerous street that seeks blood, gore, and misery.
Known as the place where people come to ‘make it’, LA is a city of ambition and desire, and will do whatever it takes to get what it wants. These properties define Lou, Dan Gilroyfilm more widely. night crawlerLA, about our obsession with go-getters and voyeurism and the dangers of horrifically consuming the tragedies of others.
“Playtime” (1967)
played by Monsieur Hulot Jack Tati, A film director, he jerks around the bustling, fast-paced streets of Paris. play time It’s more than a narrative film. It’s a work of spectacular choreography and technical achievement that truly revels in the joy and childlike wonder that only cinema can offer.
the beauty of play time The reason the setting is so unique is that it works almost as a silent film. It looks completely visual and complex, with extended story beats that are purely explored through the way the film’s characters live and move around in incredible sets and locations.
“Drive” (2011)
Stuntman by day, getaway driver by night. drive It is the ultimate LA mood work that continues Ryan GoslingAn unnamed character navigates the streets and seedy underbelly of LA. drive Above all, it captures the loneliness and romance of driving through the city at night. Sometimes for no other reason than to drive.
The film spotlights the urban sprawl of Los Angeles and the glitz of Hollywood in equal measure.A scene shot on the Los Angeles River, which was also used as the backdrop for an iconic scene in the film grease When Chinatowndirected by Nicholas Winding Refn A knowledge and love of how Los Angeles has been portrayed on film.
“The Great Beauty” (2013)
old writer (Toni Servillo) look back on his life and look back on his past. great beauty It’s part narrative drama, part comedy, and part art. Few movies, set in Rome, adore and adore that setting more than this one. The narrative and cinematic themes are rooted in reflection, as are the locations and cinematography.
We are not satisfied with the typical tourist traps that our international audience recognizes from postcards and Instagram reels. great beauty It features wonderful Italian locations such as the Capitoline Museums, Santa Maria Church, Palazzo Braschi Museum and Villa Medici.
“Midsommer” (2019)
After a terrible tragedy struck Dani, Florence Pugh, she joins her deadbeat boyfriend on a boys’ trip to a small Swedish community that’s not what it seems.the importance of midsommarThe setting of is about the stark contrast between the film’s visual language and the events that are taking place, rather than where it was filmed.
midsommar It’s a visually stunning movie. Its locations are further enhanced by gorgeous set designs and whimsical and extravagant costumes. The incredible sun-drenched, wildflower-filled landscapes inhabited by the film’s characters are completely at odds with the dark and terrifying nature of what happens in the film. It further explores the idea that what is barbaric, traumatic, or repugnant to one person can represent tradition, community, and unity to someone else.
“Zodiac” (2007)
Zodiac Follow newspaper cartoonists Robert Graysmithplayed by Jake GyllenhaalThe film is based on Graysmith’s own book about the case and his investigative experiences. The book, and therefore the film adaptation, have been criticized for their liberal interpretation of the evidence, which cannot be denied. Zodiac is a stunning thriller that faithfully recreates the California city from the 60’s to the 80’s.
Zodiac‘s setting has to do with not only the gorgeous yet haunting visuals, but also the actual geography of the featured city. James Vanderbilt It conveys the importance of the film’s geography as much as the visuals.
