RED: April 2014

Textual analysis

The title of the film I am going to analyse is ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ directed by Stephen Frears. The genre of the film is a crime, drama thriller and was released on the 13^th December 2002 in the UK.

Todorovs equilibrium model includes five recognised steps. Firstly, a state of equilibrium, where everything appears to be normal. Secondly, a disruption by an event, then the recognition that the disorder has occurred. There is then an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption. Lastly, a return of restoration as there is a new equilibrium. Todorovs theory applies to ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ in the different stages of the film. The film begins with Okwe doing his job as a cab driver and then also turning up to his next job at the hotel where he works on reception. The disruption is seen when he tries to unblock a toilet and he finds a human heart. The recognition of the event happens when he tells his friend Guo Yi and the woman he lives with Senay, who also works at the hospital. Okwe finds out that there is illegal organ transplants taking place in the hotel and after his friend agrees to sell her kidney for a British passport, he attempts to repair the disruption by pretending to do the procedure for her, but instead sells the evil bosses kidney for money. The new equilibrium is seen when both Okwe and Senay go back to their own countries after admitting they love each other.

Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary oppositions is about how humans understanding is defined by opposites. The binary oppositions in ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ are more complicated than a normal crime thriller because it includes many different situations and characters. Firstly, the main binary opposition is between Okwe and the hotel manager, as good vs. bad. The hotel manager is seen as the bad guy in this film as he is trying to illegally preform organ transplants and as he doesn’t have a doctor to perform the operation, he bribes Okwe to do it for him. The binary opposition is articulated through the hotel managers character shouting, not socialising with the workers and being selfish, whilst Okwe tries to help as many people as he can, is friendly and loyal. Secondly, strong and vulnerable is shown through Juliette (the local prostitute) and Senay (a virgin) who is a desperate immigrant. One other binary opposition shown in this film is the villain, who is the sweatshop owner who makes Senay perform sexual acts as a bribe or he will tell the immigration officer that she is working, and the Senay the victim, as she is left no choice but to co-operate.

The film is in chronological order as the orders of events happen systematically over a period of time. Dirty pretty things has a closed narrative structure, as there is a definite ending for the audience. Although, we are somewhat left wondering what is going to happen once both Senay and Okwe return to their countries, we know that they go their separate ways with no indication that they will ever meet again. The film also has a restricted narrative, as we do not have a god like view of the narrative. This is because key info is withheld from the audience. It can be argued that Senay is the main character in this film as she is on the front cover or because she was the bigger star at the time the film was made. However, Okwe is the actual main character and he is seen as the ‘hero’ in the film.

The first character that I am going to analyse is who I believe is the main character, Okwe. Okwe’s character is typical of the crime/drama genre as he is seen as the hero who saves the day. He is a very kind, smart man who tries to help as many people as he can, especially Senay who he gets extremely close too. This is typical of a crime drama as the hero usually has a partner who helps him save the day. As the ‘hero’ his behaviour is very helpful but also suspicious because he knows that he is an immigrant with hardly any rights. This film uses the codes and conventions of the male character being the hero however; Okwe is an immigrant and has a strong Nigerian accent. This is essential in a niche market film like this, where the film is interested in realism and exploring social inequality and the way Okwe speaks adds credibility and authenticity to the film. He is a worker, who has several jobs, which clearly shows he is underpaid and is stereotypical of someone with a foreign accent. The film highlights how certain people are exploited and in order for this to be shown, his character needs to be played exactly like this. However, later in the film we find out that he used to be a doctor, which goes against this stereotype of immigrants not having an education and doing labour jobs. Throughout this drama, his body language and facial expressions, shows him to be worried and stressed. There are several parts of the film where he is put in situations that are particularly hard for him for example, when he had to steal the medication from a hospital and when the immigration officers came to see if Senay had been working there. His facial expressions show him to be trying to look calm and extremely focused. Okwe’s character wears dark clothing throughout the film, which is typical of a crime/thriller film as he is trying to look discrete and not attract attention to himself.

The second character Senay, who is more typical of a drama film which tackles serious issues and problems, shown through the tone and focus of the film, her behaviour is much different to Okwe’s. Her female character is seen as the vulnerable victim who is in need of saving, and when she begins to sell herself short in order to make some money or get a British passport, the audience begins to feel sorry for her, which is typical of this genre. She speaks in a very polite way and is seen as a young foreign woman, who also has an accent, and therefore is seen as someone who will do the jobs that British working class people, do not want to do. Her facial expressions are hardly ever smiling, which shows that she is not happy with her way of living and her seriousness in which she values her jobs, shows the audience that she appreciates her chance to work. Her body language is portrayed as fearful as she walks fast and always has her head looking down, as she does not want to be involved in anything. Her hair and makeup is minimal which not only shows her lack of money, but also that her appearance doesn’t matter to her, as she is only there to work.

The story line is fairly typical of the genre; however because of the hybridity of this film, the storyline fits in all three of these categories. The part of the storyline about the illegal organ transplants taking place in the hotel belongs to the thriller and crime genre. The parts of the film to do with the two main characters, their backgrounds and their immigration, belongs to the drama genre, where we get to feel emotions for each character and feel their struggles as it happens to them. There are several themes that run throughout this film. Firstly, the theme of friendship, which comes together at the end of the film where Juliet, doorman and Okwe’s hospital friend, all help Okwe and Senay. Another theme in this film is exploitation, which both Okwe and Senay experience. Senay is exploited in the sweatshops by being made to give sexual pleasures to the boss and Okwe by making him perform the operations in order to stay in the country with a job. Also, the theme of corruption in the hotel by the hotel owner, who is only interested in making more money so he decides to make it illegally in his hotel.

The 2 minute extract I am analysing begins with Juliet (the local prostitute) in the hotel lobby talking to Okwe. From this scene, their diegetic conversation begins with a shot reverse shot of them talking at medium close ups in order to see their facial expressions. The editing style is slow and smooth in order to show that there is nothing for the audience to be on edge about. The mise on scene is in the hotel lobby where there is a front desk; there are many props involved such as flowers for the setting, Juliette’s high heels on the counter and a cigarette, which she is smoking. This is typical for a crime thriller as most people smoke to show they are ‘rebellious’ or ‘trouble’. Once Okwe is told to go to the room, we see an establishing shot of the mise en scene, to understand more about the job Juliet does at the hotel. The lights turn from dim to bright as he enters the room, we then see the bed clearly with a high angled shot of the props such as glasses and a remote on the bed. The camera stays at a high angle. The camera begins to pan as Okwe walks towards the bathroom. The slow editing style continues to make the audience feel relaxed. This is contradicted with the choice of no music of sounds, which could make the audience feel like something is about to happen and is very typical in dramas to create suspense. We then hear the sounds of water flooding in the bathroom as he walks into the room and turns the light on, we get a close up of his frustrated facial expressions, and then a straight cut to him walking into the bathroom again after taking his jacket off. The camera stays still whilst he is trying to unplug to toilet, and moves in and out of the frame with his head. The audience then is shown bubbles of blood appearing in the toilet by a worm eye view shot inside the toilet. This is a creative shot in order to show the blood and also Okwe’s facial expressions. Non diegetic music begins to play of slow high pitched music, which creates tension, we then see a close up of Okwe trying to retrieve whatever is in the toilet, and eventually see an extreme close up, of a point of view shot of him holding a heart In his hand. A jump cut is then edited in, of him taking the heart in a bag, back downstairs into the lobby.