Evaluation of Representation

Representation of Women

• Our piece focuses on the relationship between three family members; the mother and the two daughters, therefore it seems productive to analyse the representation of women and teenage girls in our extract.
 
• In our genre of film, it is not out of the ordinary to see some of the main characters as teenagers or younger as they are seen as more naive and more vulnerable therefore make for a better victim. However they are also known for not listening to instructions or following advice which inevitably leads them to danger or harm. If we have a look at how our teenage characters are represented in our piece we can see that they have characteristics of both representations; rebellious and also vulnerable.  

Classic vulnerable child stereotype

• We can see that they are rebellious and sly by the way that the younger sister sneaks into her room and steals from her drawer, this can be seen here:

• This is, although more extreme, seen in the media in examples such as the London riots where one of the main issues was teenagers stealing from shops. Although it is on a much more extreme level, the idea of stealing and being rebellious is a common view of teenagers in today’s society.

Teen looting

 

• We also can see that they are represented as vulnerable during the conversation scene between the two sisters. The use of mise-en-scène plays a massive role in showing off this representation by the way that they are both under a blanket and are both sitting close to each other on a sofa.  This shows that they are vulnerable as being under a cover often represents some kind of protection against something and shows that they both feel exposed and in need of comfort.

• Children are often used as being the victim in other thrillers such as ‘The Woman in Black’ as only children are affected by the curse that the woman brings upon them. This shows the true vulnerability and shows that a child’s mind is much more easily deceived than one of an adult. This is useful for the genre and shows how often media representations are driven by genre needs.

 

 

• The mother is represented in a way that matches the way in which the ‘evil’ stepmother is represented in some Disney films. This is due mainly to the dialogue between the two sisters as they talk about how their mother is never at home very often and they also, in a very scared way say “Mum's home, run!” which implies that their relationship with her has an element of fear. This gives the audience the impression that the mother doesn't really take notice of the girls which is one of the attributes of the ‘evil stepmother’ as mentioned.

 

• With a comparison of these two photos we can clearly see that the mother in our clip also shares the same mannerisms as the ‘evil stepmother’ from the Disney films. They both have this slight grin on their face which is often a big give away that something is being planned or that things are going to plan.

 

• The tracking shot from behind and the use of the all black costume gives the audience very little information about who she is and what she is like. The use of props and music however do make her out to be a very strange character as the music doesn't quite match the action that she is doing. This creates a very strange sense that something is not quite right as giving flowers is a sign of generosity and the music does not give off that impression.

• Critics such as Pickering feel that using common stereotypes as we have done can be dangerous and harmful, as they reinforce social conventions and perpetuate social views that are "biased and limited".
• While we have used two well-established female stereotypes, I don't think we fall into this category as the representation of the girls is generally sympathetic and their vulnerability is as much to do with their age as their gender; while the 'evil stepmother' stereotype is one that has its effect by going against the general perception of society that all mothers love their children and would do anything for them. It woeks in the thriller genre exactly because it is what the children will be least expecting,makig for a more exciting plot.