The Grandmother Analysis

    HOW DAVID LYNCH TURNS THE ORDINARY INTO NIGHTMARISH

One thing The Grandmother subverts from innocent to unsettling is childhood. David Lynch's creepy and imaginative direction gives the scene a nightmarish and unsettling tone. For example the scene where the mother is comforting the child turning into a intense scuffle between the two is demonstrated through the use of sound and editing. The cyclical echo of the scream progressing into a high pitch shreak is an unnerving and disturbing sound that perfectly matches the intensity of the scene; as the scream gets more and more distorted and intense so does the editing of the scene, using quick cuts between shots to emphasise the chaotic nature. This creates a intense and uncomfortable scene and maybe symbolic of Lynch's outlook of childhood. Maybe the mother gripping the child constantly maybe be displaying the parents hold on their children regardless of their intentions and the child is trying to break free of their control.

Another thing David Lynch subverts is the audiences view on a child being born. The average person would think that a child being born is a beautiful and innocent thing, but Lynch turns it into a demonic and disturbing. It is displayed through a 2D animation showing the child being grown out of the ground, which highlights the abstract and bizarre nature of the setting. The animation is in dark and grainy colours, creating a bleak and decay-like visual. This makes the audience feel unsettled by the film. This is furthermore demonstrated with the use of sound in this, when the father is shown, snarling at the camera chaotically. The static editing and volatile movement of the father mixed with the close up on his face. creates a creepy and horrorfying tone, and, by proxy the audience is disturbed by this. This juxtaposes the themes surrounding childbirth, furthermore displaying Lynch's warped view of childhood.

Comments

  1. Coulsdon Media and Film17 March 2021 at 01:59

    Well done Thomas- you have used two words from the word bank.

    Improve upon this by:

    -Add another paragraph further analysing how Lynch shows childhood as nightmarish
    -Be more specific here, as to what Lynch is saying about childhood: what exactly is he subverting?
    -Mention the use of surrealism

    Julian

    ReplyDelete

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