Genre (C3)

• WB as Southern Gothic...
• Social problems:

  Drugs and poverty
• Grotesque:

  Daddy's bone scene
• Characters with negative qualities:

  Teardrop
• Outsider theme:


  Ree both outside and insider
• Violence theme:

  Beating scene, Teardrop and his gun
• Sense of place:

  Ozark, film has poetic authenticity
• Fear of institution:

  Dislike of police
• WB as realism genre...
• Focus is on every day, mundane, and unspectacular elements of life


  Opening and closing scene -Ree hanging up washing, kids playing in garden
• Naturalistic camerawork:

  -Objective shots

  -No extra effects

  -Continuity editing (subtle)

  -Camera framed at eye-level
• What effect does the camera being framed at eye-level have?

  Reflects human behaviour and movement
• Natural lighting
• Soundtrack is diegetic
• Sense of place:

  -Shot on location

  -Themes closely linked to location

  -Guitar ballads -heritage
• WB as a dark fairy-tale...
• Conflicts and relationships largely between women
• Female driven stories:

  Conflicts and relationships largely between women
• Atmosphere prioritised over plot:

  Simple storyline, focus on capturing ostracised America and the experience of being an Ozarkian
• Men are opponents or protectors who arrive in the nick of time:

  Opps: Thump, Teardrop

  Protectors: Teardrop at end
• Main character has one goal -the Heroine's quest:

  Ree finding her father
• Character archetypes:

  Heroine - Ree

  Crone - Mirab

  Wicked stepmother claims youngest child - Sonya and Blonde

  Three witches - the three sisters
• WB as western...
• Hostile elements:

  Guns, violence, horses , Western clothing
• Western hero:


  Ree -shows integrity, principle, tough, self-sufficient
• Vast, desolate landscapes
• Sherrif:

  Sherrif Baskin
• WB as a noir...
• Pessimistic mood
• Morally ambiguous heroes:


  Ree doing illegal acts to help her family

  Teardrop helping them at the end
• Themes of dark/harsh atmosphere and a potential for violence
• Aesthetics:

  -Low-key lighting

  -Shadows
• Detective searching for answers