Narrative Structure
The film revolves around a woman at her anniversary meal in her home with her husband, unsatisfied in his lack of adventure. The film has a twist, she turns her husband off via a switch on the back of his neck and immediately goes to ordering a replacement model, arriving soon after, but only for it to do the same to her as it desires standards that she fails to meet.
Sound
The most prominent device used for effect is that of the sound. Diegetic chewing noises as they eat their meal and non-diegetic lullaby music combine for an uncomfortable feeling for the audience. The chewing noises are far more audible than they typically would to create a sense of unease and the music has a haunting effect thats designed to give the audience the impression that their is something wrong between the two people right from the start.
Editing
Editing is used creatively throughout the film. One of the most notable piece of editing is when the woman is inquiring about receiving an upgrade. As the camera dolly’s backwards and she continues to talk about what features she desires for her ideal husband, the shot begins to fade out to black and then smoothly transitions to her peering through an eye hole in her door in the dark. The implication being made here is that a lot of time has passed as she continues to change her mind about what type of husband she desires and for the package to arrive.
Meaning and Response
The main ideas it seems to challenge is that of marriage and technology. The suggestion that Van makes is that the marriage is artificial and therefore cannot work. Its also a statement of a reliance on technology to achieve our desires and if we dont remain vigellent, we can lose ourselves and become dictated by that which we once craved for ourselves.
Contexts of Film
During the films release in 2006, a wide emergence of new technological feats were gripping the world that allowed a wide range of connectivity like never before. Facebook had just launched which allowed users to connect with millions of other people they werent aware even existed whilst youtube was becoming increasingly popular with over 72 million visitors each month. This all made for a world that found itself craving new technology and the next miraculous innovation that would take the world by storm. This is most likely a major influence of the film as the film attempts to convey the message that an overindulgence in technology can hav grave consequences and leave us switched off from the rest of the world.
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