Sophie Laxton

How are fear and isolation represented in We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011) and The
Roommate (2011)?
Throughout this essay I will be analysing the films We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) and The
Roommate (2011) and how the director uses micro techniques to present the themes of fear and
isolation.
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a drama and thriller film that was directed by Lynne Ramsay. The film
was released in 2011 and is BBFC rated a 15. The narrative shows Kevin Khatchadourians (Ezra
Miller) life leading up to his conviction for committing a massacre at his high school and also killing his
father Franklin (John C. Reilly) and younger sister Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich). The film is based
around how his mother Eva (Tilda Swinton) struggled with creating a relationship between Kevin and
herself and how the death of her family and the imprisonment of her son has affected her and caused
her to become isolated. This film clearly follows Todorovs equilibrium theory. The theory states that
films follow the narrative of an equilibrium, disruption of the equilibrium, realization that there is a
problem, attempt to restore order and then a new or restored equilibrium.
In We Need To Talk
About Kevin, there is a
scene where Eva
hears about the
massacre at the
school Kevin attends
while she is at work. It
is evident that fear is a
major focus in this
scene through the use
of technical aspects
such as mise-enscene e.g. lighting and
cinematography e.g.
shots. As the scene
begins, non-diegetic
sound of a heartbeat is played at a slow pace, highlighting the intensity and keeping the suspense; a
generic convention used in thriller films The audience see a slow motion tracking shot alongside the
music, showing Eva frantically searching for her son through the crowds of people. Her movements
e.g. looking around for her son and pushing through the crowd, highlight her worry which connotes the
fear within her. The use of the colour red within lighting and props connotes the danger which is
evident throughout this flashback scene as it is leading up to the point where Eva finds out Kevin is
the killer. Lighting is also a significant element in the scene as it is low-key which is an important
feature in the thriller genre as it causes fear to arise within the audience because it connotes danger
that comes later. Also, character positioning is used in the scene to allow the audience to focus on the
fear within her rather than the fear within the other characters around her. Eva is seen positioned in
the centre of the frame, where a tracking shot and depth of field is used to make her the focal point of
the scene.
The theme of isolation is apparent in We Need To Talk About Kevin, specifically within the scene
where she is at a prenatal class with other pregnant women. A wide shot shows Eva sitting alone on a
bench while the other women are around her and, even though diegetic dialogue is not present in this
scene, the audience know they are speaking about their pregnancies as they are seen touching their
stomachs. The other women are not conversing with her, showing that she is isolated from others
even when she has something to connect herself with them. The director chooses a slow motion shot
alongside calm and soothing non-diegetic music to allow the audience to connect and sympathise
with her as well as reflect on the scene. As the scene progresses, the audience see Eva walking down
a hallway through the use of a long shot. The low-key lighting in this location symbolises the isolation
that she feels as an unhappy pregnant woman. The shot then shows a group of young girls run past
her and as they leave the frame, the empty space around Eva is revealed. The girls do not
acknowledge Eva even though she is in their path, making her seem invisible. The shot becomes slow
motion, allowing the audience to reflect on her loneliness and sympathise with that.

Sophie Laxton

Isolation is clear in We Need To Talk About Kevin through the use of cinematography and mise-enscene. In the scene where Eva comes home after discovering that Kevin was the killer, she is
searching for her husband and daughter. Eva is seen in a wide shot walking slowly through the house.
She is in the centre of the frame, so the space around her is clear to the audience. The lack of props
and the empty space around her makes her seem alone and foreshadows the isolation in her life after
the death of her husband and daughter and the imprisonment of her son. The low key lighting
alongside her costume of all white emphasizes her isolation as she stands out in a room where
nothing else could be seen. The diegetic sound of footsteps echoing through the room emphasises
the fact that she is alone as there is no other noise in the house. A medium close up shot shows Eva
walking outside and a cutaway shot shows her two family members lying dead on the ground. This
highlights her isolation more as the audience know that she has no other family and will now be alone.
This scene can be linked directly with Barthes enigma code theory which states that there are clues
dropped throughout films but no clear answers are really given. The enigma within the narrative
makes the audience wonder and want to know more. This is shown throughout the film through
scenes that connote the isolation, such as this one, that Eva will end up feeling once she loses her
family.
The Roommate, released in 2011 as a BBFC rated 15, is a drama, horror and thriller film directed by
Christian E. Christiansen. Sara Matthews (Minka Kelly) goes to university and gets a new roommate,
Rebecca (Leighton Meester). Rebeccas obsession for Sara begins to grow over time and eventually it
gets out of hand and Rebecca uses violence to get her way. She begins to assault Saras other
friends and kills her ex-boyfriend and attempts to murder her current boyfriend and best friend. The
film also stars Cam Gigandet, Danneel Harris, Matt Lanter and Nina Dobrev.

Sophie Laxton

In the film The

Roommate, isolation
is a key theme and
this is clearly shown
in the scene where
Rebecca and Sara
go to a coffee shop
and run into a group
of girls that Rebecca
used to know. A wide
shot is used to show
Rebecca standing
alone and the empty
space around her
highlights that she is alone and an outcast from the other girls. Alongside this, eerie non-diegetic
music is used to connote the isolation. These generic codes and conventions are used to make the
audience feel the suspense of the scene and connote that she is alone and isolated from others
because they are afraid of her. Through diegetic dialogue, the audience see Rebecca trying to
converse with the three girls as they reject the conversation and avert their eyes away from her before
saying, We were never friends. This line is used to make Rebecca seem like an outcast to society as
she is unable to fit in, which reinforces the theme of isolation.
It is clear that fear is
incorporated into the
Roommate to
highlight the films
genres of thriller and
horror. In this scene,
Sara is walking
throughout the
hallway of her best
friend Irenes
apartment until she
finds her tied to a
bed. Sara is seen in
a tracking shot
walking around
Irenes apartment with a concerned expression on her face. Alongside this shot, eerie non-diegetic
music fades in at a slow pace. This intensifies the scene as the audience understand what she is
feeling and are scared for her and Irene and what events will occur. This clearly conveys the generic
conventions of the horror genre meeting the audiences expectations through narrative and character
representations. In a POV shot, the audience see Sara enter what seems to be an empty room and
they hear the non-diegetic music slowly fade out to silence. Diegetic dialogue allows the audience to
hear Sara call out for Irene before there is a close-up shot of Irenes face as she quickly sits up and
begins to scream. The scream is sudden and is placed shortly after the silence in order to surprise
and frighten the audience as thriller and horrors are meant to do. The non-diegetic music begins again
and a two shot shows Sara walk forward to reveal Rebecca behind her pointing a gun at her back.
Fear is another key theme in this film and this is seen in the final scene where there is a physical fight
between Rebecca, Stephen, Tracy and Sara. A birds eye view shows Sara hanging out of a window
and the next shot is a zoom in to her face showing her eyes widening and her breathing quickly. The
shots are fast pace and alongside this, non-diegetic action music is used to build the suspense within
the scene and keep the audience on edge at all times. These micro elements add to the thriller genre
and highlight the fear that the director has decided to incorporate in the film. Through diegetic
dialogue the audience can see the fear more prominently as Sara repeatedly screams Help me, help
me! This shows that she is scared and the audience are kept in the dark during this situation, linking
to the enigma code. Barthes theory about enigma codes suggests that a text depicts a mystery to
draw in an audience. It allows them to pose questions and become intrigued with the piece. The

Sophie Laxton

4
director uses thriller
and horror codes
and conventions in
order to do this.

In We Need To Talk
About Kevin and The
Roommate, the
directors both use
technical aspects in
similar ways in order
to represent the fear
and isolation within
the films. They
successfully do this through the use of mise-en-scene and this is the most effective. They both use
low key lighting and character positioning in similar ways to highlight the two themes of fear and
isolation. The films both use sound, diegetic and non-diegetic, to highlight the fear and isolation that
are present in both films. For example, they both use slow paced music to build up the fear and use
diegetic dialogue to highlight the theme of isolation. The directors use red lighting to connote the
danger which makes the audience feel the suspense and fear within specific scenes. Both films
represent only the women as isolated and helpless. In We Need To Talk About Kevin, when Eva is
away from her husband, she feels depressed about her pregnancy but her mood changes when with
her husband. If he was not there, the audience would see Eva is a constant state of sadness. In The
Roommate, during the fight scene, Sara is hanging out of a window screaming for help and, right in
time, her boyfriend comes to her rescue. This makes it seem as though she needs a man to save her,
linking to Vladmir Propps theory of character types where he says that there is always a damsel in
distress and a hero. Overall, both films use microelements successfully to represent the themes of
fear and isolation.
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