Narrative Structure
A young boy who lives with his mother and father is taunted and abused because of the fathers disappointment that he continues to wet the bed and his mothers overattachment. Upon finding a bag of seeds, he plants one and it grows until it becomes a grandmother who is loving and caring towards him. The grandmother unfortunately becomes violently ill, leaving the boy to attempt to get his parents to help only to be turned away, returning to find that she has died and in the end he dies also.
Sound
The sound is used in a way that is very much unlike any other film. Sounds of seeds shaking and the fathers repeated shouts of what appears to sound like “mine” are exaggerated. These noises are what drive the story due to a lack of dialogue, showing a specific characters intrigue in an object or a current mood they are feeling such as when the grandmother dies and her high pitched whistle is louder than ever before as she wails out in pain.
Mise-en-scene
Hardly anything is visible within the frame throughout the film due to the dark lighting. Whilst this also has its effects on the mood of the film, it also makes the objects in the foreground more prominent such as the bag of seeds and the bright orange stain left on the bed by the boy wetting himself as they are all integral to the story; Lynch is directing the audiences attention to the things that matter most.
Editing
Editing is sharp and violent when focusing on the boys parents, reflecting their animosity towards the boy and their violent outbreaks that push hum away.
Meaning and Response
I was overall startled by this film in that it was a very unique representation of what I believed to be Lynch’s attempt to represent procreation and the almost symbolic destruction of the idea of a family unit. Whilst it wasn’t something I would typically watch, I recognise the appeal of Lynch’s creative ideas that draws his audience in. The expressive use of colour and the exaggerated sounds add for a truly horrifying (in a good way) experience for the viewer.
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