In Mullholland Dr. although the movie is set in the real world of Hollywood and covers real themes of love, ambition, and fears, the reality of the movie is displaced by the shifting timeline, dreamlike fantasies and use of creatures and overdramatic acting. On the other hand, the dystopian world Bing inhabits in Black Mirror speaks directly to the relationship between the media and society using an exaggerated portrayal of the media.
When Diane first arrives in Hollywood, everything 'seems' perfect. Diane is portrayed as an innocent small town girl from Canada, she is ushered out of the airport by two homely and smiling old people, she politely greats the old people in her cheerful voice and is so excited to finally be able to pursue her dream. This overacted scene used in Mullholland Dr. kept me on high alert. The cheesiness of the movie had me thinking two thoughts, either this is a really bad movie or we the viewers, are being set up for something else in this movie. Many scenes in the movie Mullholland Dr. were overacted in order to cue the reader that perhaps this reality is false. The scene where the executives were telling the director "This is the girl" was one of the most memorable scenes in Mullholland Dr. due to the overdramatized acting. The most important executive spits out a tiny sip of tea for what feels like a full minute, liquid constantly flowing from his mouth. I couldn't help but laugh because of how unnecessary and unrealistic the scene seemed. The use of subtle overdramatic scenes in Mullholland Dr. were a subconscious clue to the viewers that reality was being distorted.
While overdramatic scenes were a subconscious clue to the readers of a distorted reality, the monster behind the diner and the size-shifting old people were an obvious clue to the viewers that something was deeply flawed in the reality being presented. The use of flashbacks or flash forwards as well as character role changes- Betty becoming Diane, Camilla and Rita, confuse the viewers and leaves them lost until all is revealed at the end of the movie. In reference to the real world, the story of Diane tells of the worst case scenario of coming to hollywood, hopes could be dashed, hearts broken and lives taken. The movie presents "real" possibilities through the use of unrealistic scenarios.
One of the themes represented in Mullholland Dr. dealing with media image was lack of control. The director, Adam, had no control over his movie and Diane had no control over her lover Camilla. Diane also had no control over her fantasies which inevitably become so overwhelming for her she ends her life with a gun. Lack of control is a real issue many people in the entertainment industry face. Another theme/lesson Mullholland Dr. addressed was the possibility of meeting phony people. Many of the characters were not who they were first presented to be, starting with the old couple, whose sugary smile turned sinister after meeting Diane, to Camilla a lover turned betrayer, many of the characters were not genuine and although this was mainly because they were fabricated into a fantasy Diane created, this could also be a metaphor for how deceitful media can be. Not everything in the media is accurate, sometimes things are portrayed a certain way to illicit a certain result. Women in the media are portrayed as flawless in order to sell products. For instance, a woman with naturally or photoshopped flawless skin selling face lotion will be more effective than a woman with acne selling face lotion because the viewer thinks "If I buy this lotion, I have more of a chance of looking like her, or having her flawless skin."
While Mullholland Dr. takes an indirect stab at the media and the society of entertainment, Black Mirror challenges society itself and reveals the harsh reality of the real world. As we dive deeper into the uses of technology, our iPhones, Laptops, Televisions, and now iWatches, advertisements are ever present as we are constantly being sold something. Society and its viewers are looking for more and more ways to entertain and be entertained. Bing represents a citizen of that society who has awakened from the monotony of everyday life through the voice of a female in the bathroom named Abi, he now has something to live for, the opportunity to help Abi become a star! Instead, Abi ends up becoming a porn star through a strange turn of events and Bing is devastated. In accordance with the theme of No happy endings or nothing ever works out the way you want it to, Black Mirror shocked me twice, once when Abi accepted the role of a porn star and next when Bings heart felt plea about the heartlessness of the entertainment industry was transformed into an entertainment show. This ending represented reality and was very "real" in my opinion. The "realness" of this episode would have been lost if the judges had an immediate change of heart right after hearing Bings speech.
Although this episode of Black Mirror was set in a dystopian society, its themes and emotions were presented in a very realistic way. Bings reality becomes the viewers reality and the use of repetition in the episode helped reinforce the dystopian world. The explosion of the entertainment industry in Bings world foretell the consequences of a society centered on 24/7 entertainment and distraction. After watching this episode, I wondered what it would feel like to forever be hostage to advertisements and entertainment as I find it hard already to watch a 30 second commercial. Black Mirror represents a cautious tale of the consequences of mass entrainment and also about how much power the media actually has.
When Diane first arrives in Hollywood, everything 'seems' perfect. Diane is portrayed as an innocent small town girl from Canada, she is ushered out of the airport by two homely and smiling old people, she politely greats the old people in her cheerful voice and is so excited to finally be able to pursue her dream. This overacted scene used in Mullholland Dr. kept me on high alert. The cheesiness of the movie had me thinking two thoughts, either this is a really bad movie or we the viewers, are being set up for something else in this movie. Many scenes in the movie Mullholland Dr. were overacted in order to cue the reader that perhaps this reality is false. The scene where the executives were telling the director "This is the girl" was one of the most memorable scenes in Mullholland Dr. due to the overdramatized acting. The most important executive spits out a tiny sip of tea for what feels like a full minute, liquid constantly flowing from his mouth. I couldn't help but laugh because of how unnecessary and unrealistic the scene seemed. The use of subtle overdramatic scenes in Mullholland Dr. were a subconscious clue to the viewers that reality was being distorted.
While overdramatic scenes were a subconscious clue to the readers of a distorted reality, the monster behind the diner and the size-shifting old people were an obvious clue to the viewers that something was deeply flawed in the reality being presented. The use of flashbacks or flash forwards as well as character role changes- Betty becoming Diane, Camilla and Rita, confuse the viewers and leaves them lost until all is revealed at the end of the movie. In reference to the real world, the story of Diane tells of the worst case scenario of coming to hollywood, hopes could be dashed, hearts broken and lives taken. The movie presents "real" possibilities through the use of unrealistic scenarios.
One of the themes represented in Mullholland Dr. dealing with media image was lack of control. The director, Adam, had no control over his movie and Diane had no control over her lover Camilla. Diane also had no control over her fantasies which inevitably become so overwhelming for her she ends her life with a gun. Lack of control is a real issue many people in the entertainment industry face. Another theme/lesson Mullholland Dr. addressed was the possibility of meeting phony people. Many of the characters were not who they were first presented to be, starting with the old couple, whose sugary smile turned sinister after meeting Diane, to Camilla a lover turned betrayer, many of the characters were not genuine and although this was mainly because they were fabricated into a fantasy Diane created, this could also be a metaphor for how deceitful media can be. Not everything in the media is accurate, sometimes things are portrayed a certain way to illicit a certain result. Women in the media are portrayed as flawless in order to sell products. For instance, a woman with naturally or photoshopped flawless skin selling face lotion will be more effective than a woman with acne selling face lotion because the viewer thinks "If I buy this lotion, I have more of a chance of looking like her, or having her flawless skin."
While Mullholland Dr. takes an indirect stab at the media and the society of entertainment, Black Mirror challenges society itself and reveals the harsh reality of the real world. As we dive deeper into the uses of technology, our iPhones, Laptops, Televisions, and now iWatches, advertisements are ever present as we are constantly being sold something. Society and its viewers are looking for more and more ways to entertain and be entertained. Bing represents a citizen of that society who has awakened from the monotony of everyday life through the voice of a female in the bathroom named Abi, he now has something to live for, the opportunity to help Abi become a star! Instead, Abi ends up becoming a porn star through a strange turn of events and Bing is devastated. In accordance with the theme of No happy endings or nothing ever works out the way you want it to, Black Mirror shocked me twice, once when Abi accepted the role of a porn star and next when Bings heart felt plea about the heartlessness of the entertainment industry was transformed into an entertainment show. This ending represented reality and was very "real" in my opinion. The "realness" of this episode would have been lost if the judges had an immediate change of heart right after hearing Bings speech.
Although this episode of Black Mirror was set in a dystopian society, its themes and emotions were presented in a very realistic way. Bings reality becomes the viewers reality and the use of repetition in the episode helped reinforce the dystopian world. The explosion of the entertainment industry in Bings world foretell the consequences of a society centered on 24/7 entertainment and distraction. After watching this episode, I wondered what it would feel like to forever be hostage to advertisements and entertainment as I find it hard already to watch a 30 second commercial. Black Mirror represents a cautious tale of the consequences of mass entrainment and also about how much power the media actually has.
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