Psychology technique · used in 5 films
Showing a character pushed away by the people around them, one relationship at a time. The loneliness raises the pressure until every choice feels dangerous.
Examples
Fred Zinnemann · 1953
After Prewitt refuses to join the boxing team, Captain Holmes orders him to be given the Treatment, a campaign of hazing. The loneliness and abuse narrow his choices until he acts.
Where to see it: Refusing to box: Prewitt refuses to join the regimental boxing team, and Holmes makes his life difficult.
Sidney Lumet · 1973
As Serpico reports corruption, the people around him pull away. He becomes depressed, his relationship falls apart and he starts to fear his own colleagues. The loneliness is the real danger.
Where to see it: The raid: During a raid on a drug dealer's apartment, his partners hold him back at a critical moment and he is shot in the face.
Sofia Coppola · 2006
Marie is a foreigner in a hostile court, and her husband shows little interest in her. People watch her every move and judge her for not having an heir. The loneliness builds until she makes risky choices.
Where to see it: The wedding night. The next day the king is told that "nothing happened".
Roman Polanski · 2019
Picquart goes from head of the secret service to an officer who is moved away and then arrested. People step back from him, and he relies on a small group of outsiders such as the lawyer Leblois.
Where to see it: The arrest: Picquart's insubordination leads to his arrest on the same day Zola publishes J'Accuse.
Destin Daniel Cretton · 2026
Peter has chosen to stay away from the people who know him, and the film shows the cost of that choice. His loneliness is what makes him open to unlikely help, such as the Punisher.
Where to see it: Solo patrols: Four years after the world forgot him, Peter protects the city from street-level crime and avoids MJ and Ned.
Questions