Analysing a film character through photography, subject, visual setting and image.
The reason I did this analysis is because it reminded me of what we did in class in the end of last term when trying to understand an image through the subject and content of said image. I was immediately captured by the artistry within a particular scene in the film "American Psycho" when I first watched it yesterday and I wanted to bring the photograph analysis technique and apply it to film because I was fascinated and intrigued by the set and how it completely reflects Patrick Bateman's personality/character.
If you are unfamiliar with this film and character, external information can be found via this link and it will give you an in depth treatise. I'm unsure as to whether this is really in relation to class because I have extended the analysis technique in to film, but I thought it was worth posting anyway.
Patrick Bateman's Apartment:
Very spacious, sterile, simple colour palette, very aesthetically pleasing. A lot of white and light colours. This represents his personality in the way that he can’t feel much emotion except for greed and hatred, therefore he tries to put on this mask so that his psychotic behaviour does not show. Everything is in it’s place. Sharp shapes (square and rectangle chairs with crossed metal legs; coffee table is also rectangle and glass with thin, dark legs.)
The blinds also represent a certain confined effect as if the subject (Bateman) is in-prisoned by his own apartment.
Batemans bedroom follows the same isolated concept, with a beige (almost off-white) duvet and white linen, a black, square side table with metal bars as legs. The walls are painted white. The brick wall outside his window also represents the theme of imprisonment throughout his apartment.
His bathroom - black tiled floor and shower wall with black cabinets complimented with the contrast of his white, perfectly laundered towels which reside in said cabinets. The walls are painted sage green which adds a bit more depth to his apartment considering all the mono tones it already consists of.
Bateman takes great care of himself and that is very apparent throughout the first 7 minutes of the film as he uses multiple washes in the shower, believes in a balanced diet and a vigorous work out routine; also accompanied by his use of multiple lotions and scrubs in the shower, all to get that perfect look of asepsis and authority.
The theme of imprisonment is very apparent throughout his apartment (which he takes great pride in) and is seen through his blinds, outer brick walls and tiles in his bathroom with give off an evident and discernible symmetry to that of bars and grids, similar to prison symmetry. I think this is because he feels imprisoned in his own skin by trying to be completely normal to the outside world but fighting intensely with his own version of reality and his internal psychosis. This is clarified through his quote within this scene:
“There is an idea of Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction; but there is no real me. Only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.” - Patrick Batemans voice over whilst he is taking off his facial mask which reflects what he is talking about, how he wears a type of "personality mask" daily to cover up his psychosis - which he is imprisoned by.
You can see this entire scene by visiting here.
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