Psychology technique · used in 9 films
Giving a character a protective manner, such as charm, cynicism or intellect, that hides vulnerability. The audience sees the defense first and the wound it covers later.
Examples
Fritz Lang · 1953
Debby is the glamorous girlfriend of a gangster. Her polished surface, which the film jokes about with its line about sisters under the mink, covers how trapped she is, and the wound shows after the attack.
Where to see it: Debby's turn: after Stone scars her, the glamorous front drops and she starts helping Bannion.
Gus Van Sant · 1997
Will's genius lets him humiliate anyone who comes near him. He turns every relationship into a contest he wins by being smarter. He knows everything about history, science and mathematics, yet he knows nothing about himself. Knowing himself would mean being vulnerable, and his intelligence is the armor he built against that.
Where to see it: Will demolishing the Harvard student in the bar. He uses his intelligence as a weapon to push people away.
Curtis Hanson · 2002
Papa Doc plays a hard street leader, and Jimmy knows the act is a shield. In the last battle he uses that knowledge. He reveals the leader's real name and suburban upbringing, and the tough image falls apart in front of the crowd.
Where to see it: The final battle. Jimmy tells the crowd that Papa Doc's real name is Clarence and that he grew up in the suburbs, and Papa Doc concedes.
Tom McCarthy · 2003
Fin moves to a remote depot so nobody will bother him. When he tries to protect Emily at the bar and gets shoved aside, he shuts down again and refuses Joe's apology. You feel both the comfort and the cost of his distance.
Where to see it: The bar scene with Emily. Fin tries to protect her from her boyfriend, gets shoved aside, and turns cold toward Joe afterward.
Terry Gilliam · 2005
Will and Jake play confident exorcists, and the act hides how little they believe in anything. Jake loves the old tales, and Will hides behind sarcasm. The act cracks once the girls are really in danger.
Where to see it: The brothers' arrest. Cavaldi captures them and brings them to General Delatombe, and their showman act falls apart in front of him.
Sidney Lumet · 2006
Jackie cannot beat the system, so he wins people over. His jokes buy him goodwill from the jury and the other defendants, and you worry about what happens when the charm stops working.
Where to see it: The refused plea deal: Jackie tells his codefendants he will refuse the final plea deal, even though he is serving a long sentence, and the others turn it down too.
Woody Allen · 2009
Boris insists life is meaningless and people are fools. When Melody leaves him he jumps out a window and lands on a stranger, Helena, who then wants to have dinner with him. His gloom survives, but luck keeps landing him in a better spot. You can read the film as a gentle argument against his own bleakness.
Where to see it: The window jump. Boris jumps after Melody says she loves Randy, lands on Helena, and ends up going to dinner with her.
Bo Burnham · 2018
Online, Kayla is bright and sure of herself. In person she barely speaks and has been voted Most Quiet by her class. The vlogs are her armor, and you see the nervous kid under it once she has to face real people.
Where to see it: The pool party. Kayla hides in the bathroom with a panic attack, then goes outside and ends up talking with Kennedy's cousin Gabe.
Sofia Coppola · 2020
Felix uses charm to hide his own failures. He flirts with everyone, including the police who pull him over. His act works on strangers, then falls apart when Laura confronts him.
Where to see it: The traffic stop. Felix talks the officers out of a ticket by naming someone he knows.
Questions