Narrative technique · used in 4 films
Organizing the whole film around one extended metaphor, such as a hunt, a list of sins or a body as machine, so the plot becomes the figure's illustration.
Examples
David Fincher · 1995
The 7 deadly sins work as a countdown you know is running. After Gluttony and Greed, you know 5 more are coming. What the film holds back is which sin will be staged when and how. That is, the dread comes from knowing it can't be stopped.
Where to see it: The shift from crime scene investigation to Mills and Somerset mapping the remaining sins. Your dread is tied to the countdown.
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · 2001
The defense lawyer Riedenschneider refers more than once to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the idea that observing something changes it. It fits a story about a man who cannot be known, even by himself. The story is set in the early atomic age, so the reference feels right.
Where to see it: Riedenschneider's work on Ed's case. The lawyer refers to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle while planning the defense.
Thomas Vinterberg · 2012
The final sequence shows the next autumn's hunt, where Marcus has his first rifle. It's a rite of passage, and it should mean he now belongs to the community. Then a shot rings out near Lucas. The film leaves it unclear on purpose: it could be an accident, a warning or attempted murder. All through the film, the town has been the hunter and Lucas the prey. Here that becomes literal, at the same moment the community declares peace.
Where to see it: The shot in the forest. The film never explains the near miss, which tells you nothing has really ended.
Darren Aronofsky · 2017
The film is built as one extended allegory in which the house, the poet and the guests stand for bigger ideas. Once you see it, every event reads as part of the same figure. Even the small mishaps feel connected.
Where to see it: The sink. Guests sit on the kitchen sink, it breaks and floods the house.
Questions