Narrative technique · used in 2 films

Deteriorating Diary Voiceover

Narrating the film through a character's diary entries that sound thoughtful and self-aware. As the words drift further from what you see, you realize the narrator's mind is breaking down.

Examples

2 films that use it

  1. Taxi Driver (1976) poster

    Taxi Driver

    Martin Scorsese · 1976

    Travis's journal entries sound like sincere self-improvement, but every observation is paranoid and dehumanizing, and they keep getting worse. He calls himself a person who will not 'allow' himself to do things he is clearly doing. The narration and the images are like 2 different films. Between them, they tell you everything about his state of mind.

    Where to see it: The opening voiceover: 'All the animals come out at night'. You hear what is going on inside Travis before you see him act.

  2. First Reformed (2017) poster

    First Reformed

    Paul Schrader · 2017

    You hear Toller's journal as voiceover, and it is measured, theological and precise. It begins as spiritual reflection and moves toward a justification for violence. The diary form stays the same the whole way. That makes the radicalization more disturbing, because the voice never sounds unhinged.

    Where to see it: Toller's journal entries about the 'terrible swift sword'. The language of faith gets reused as the language of political violence. The change happens in the same measured rhythm as the spiritual reflection before it.

Questions

Quick answers

What is deteriorating diary voiceover in film?
Narrating the film through a character's diary entries that sound thoughtful and self-aware. As the words drift further from what you see, you realize the narrator's mind is breaking down.
Which films use deteriorating diary voiceover?
Taxi Driver (1976), First Reformed (2017).
What kind of technique is deteriorating diary voiceover?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Vigilante Hero Misreading, Symbolic Object.

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