Hello, I’m Brynn and this is my first time to write blogs. As I am interested in films, a series of blogs will be focused on films. What attract me more are movies reflecting the lives of ordinary people and psychological thinking. Through writing blogs, I want to record my idea and its development. Besides, I’m also looking forward to discussing with visitors about various opinions, even hoping them reveal what I am lack of. Agree to disagree and hope for your coming.
More than Desperation
What attracts me is the shot from 01:23:04 to 01:28:11 at the end of the film Rosetta. This is the ending part, before which, Rosetta turned on the gas can while eating boiled eggs and prepared to commit suicide since she was on the verge of breakdown, and betrayed Riquet to secure a job. Humorously, the gas can was running out. This is fairly ironic because she, on behalf of those at the bottom of the society, was so restricted by the hardships of life that even the easiest and quickest way - suicide to get rid of hardships of life had failed, feeling like they were forced to suffer from the difficult life and have no choice. Therefore, in this shot, Rosetta firstly bought a new can of gas and toilfully carried it home as Riquet rode on a buzzing motorcycle moving around Rosetta to show his anger and threat. She broke down finally while Riquet helped her up.
A handheld camera is used as camera is mobile shakily. This movement of the camera is consistent with the rhythm of the character’s movement, forcing audiences to feel Rosetta’s anxiety and fear. The oppressive nature of handheld camera and the limited space it creates alludes to the narrow space and hardships of the character. Additionally, the gas can serves as a symbol of weight and burden of life that pressed on her (Morgan, 2008, pp.1194), making her struggle to move forward. Shaky camera, twisted facial expression and faint gasps from Rosetta contribute to highlighting that Rosetta struggled onward with a great burden brought by life though she was exhausted. Moreover, the buzzing of Riquet’s motorcycle lingering in the ears repeatedly, creating a sense of pressure and a nervous and threatening atmosphere. The sound of gasps was covered by the noisy and harsh sound of buzzing, making audiences very uncomfortable and fidgety. The facial expression of Riquet is angry, fierce and horrible, as if he would strike or attack Rosetta immediately. Furthermore, this frame is constructed with medium shot on Rosetta and Medium long shot on Riquet, showing the distance between them. Specifically, this puts Riquet in a relatively long distance while Rosetta is closer to the camera, making Riquetin a broader view and Rosetta a limited one. This visually provides Riquet with more power than Rosetta who seems to be monitored, restricted and threatened. Furthermore, this can also be interpreted as people at the bottom of the society are forced by livelihood and hardships of life.
Sometimes, Riquet rode motorcycle out of the screen but still with the clear sound of buzzing and Rosetta carrying the heavy gas can. From her awful facial expression, we can guess that she was depressed, angry, hopeless and despairing. Furthermore, the buzzing of motorcycle connects onscreen space with offscreen space, extending space. In other words, we can feel Riquet’s anger and aggressivity through the sound of buzzing though he was offscreen, which adds s sense of unease and fear not only to Rosetta on the screen, but also audiences. Moreover, frequent use of medium shot on Rosetta gives audiences opportunity to clearly see her struggling to move with a gas can and facial expression in detail.
After she threw stones to Riquet angrily and tried to drive him away, Rosetta continued to move forward with the gas can. At this time, the camera followed Rosetta and took a close-up from a high angle. A frown on her face indicates that throwing stones to Riquet and driving him away could not let her vent completely. She was still upset, scared, helpless and hopeless. Besides, shooting from a high angle makes audiences have more power than the character on the screen, which seems like she was observed and looked over by audiences and distances her from udiences. This naturally puts her in a disadvantaged position, intensifying s sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Above the shoulder, Rosetta’s face can be seen even more clear from the side. This close-up putting Rosetta in the centre without too much display of her surrounding circumstance, forces people to explore her performance. In a broader sense, this kind of focus on people without unfolding surrounding social environment stimulates audiences to think deeply about the core and reason for social issues.
Finally, the gas can fell to the ground and Rosetta has no strength tomove forward, grovelling against the can and crying. This moment, the camera takes a medium shot from a high angle as well. This again puts her in a disadvantaged and less powerful position, strengthening the weakness of people like her in front of the society and life. The movement that she grovelled against the can on the ground actually indicates that she was too tired to fight against the hardships and almost submitted to life. Additionally, the composition is organised around a diagonal formed by the gas can, with the character on the left and the grass on the right. This kind of composition increase the sense of limitation. Furthermore, this oblique composition from a high angle makes audiences feel like just standing beside Rosetta and looking down at her, adding realism sense of participation for audiences to naturally feel her weakness and hopelessness. In addition to visual composition, the sound of crying accompanied by constant buzzing of motorcycle seems like Rosetta was pushed to the breaking point and the contradictions, struggles and depressions that had existed for a long time eventually had found a place to vent.
The sudden stop of motorcycle’s buzzing leaves the sound of crying clearer. Unexpectedly, Riquet helped Rosetta up, seeming like he had abandoned his aggressivity. With the swaying handheld camera, audiences can follow her to feel the gradually calming emotions with surprise and gratitude, which is what in the field of view. Rosetta gazed at Riquet who was offscreen steadily, which guide audiences’ sight beyond the screen where Riquet might be forgiving and commiserative. Through her gaze, audiences can feel her relief and readiness to make a concession to the rest of the world (Morgan, 2008, pp.1194), and her acceptance of kindness and openness of it from others (Park, 2012, pp.148).
In general, the long shot at the end of the film Rosetta leads the film to a climax. Although various ways of shots and different shooting angles, coupled with sound of crying and buzzing, portrait life’s hardships of people at the bottom and their helplessly and desperately struggle, the ending shot still leaves audiences with brightness and hope without excessive sympathy or kindness, and space for thinking deeply about social issues.
References
Morgan, J. (2008). The Social Realism of Body Language in “Rosetta”. The French Review, 81(6), pp. 1187-1196.
Park, E. (2012). The politics of friendship and paternity: The Dardenne brothers’ Rosetta. Studies in French Cinema, 12(2), pp.137-149.
