Narrative technique · used in 2 films
Making the giving, taking or recovering of a name the central symbol of the film. A name stands for identity, which can be stolen and has to be won back.
Examples
Hayao Miyazaki · 2001
Yubaba takes Chihiro's name and shortens it to Sen, which strips away her history and makes her obedient. Haku helps her hold on to her real name. The emotional climax of the film is Chihiro remembering Haku's own lost name, the Kohaku River, which sets him free. She gives him back his identity through her own memory.
Where to see it: Chihiro signing her name away. Later, flying on Haku's back, she remembers his true name.
Ridley Scott · 2010
Robin takes the name of the dead knight Sir Robert of Loxley to get home and keeps it to protect the Loxley land. Scott described Robin as someone who starts as one thing, takes on another identity and then has to retire to the forest to resume his own name. The film ends the moment he finally becomes Robin Hood.
Where to see it: The outlaw decree: King John declares Robin an outlaw, and Robin and his men flee to Sherwood Forest while Marian narrates their new life.
Questions