Creative Investigation Presentation: An Exploration of Alternate Realities in Cinema

Benjamin Withers

Focus

The idea of alternate reality in film is not a new concept, stretching from “Un Chien Andalou” in 1928 to modern releases such as “Inception”. The focus of my investigation will look at the effect these films have on audiences and why alternate realities are used in cinema. Alternate realities often make an audience wonder what actually happened so they’re not fully aware of the final outcome. The films I am looking at as key texts use this idea. Throughout this presentation I will look at alternate realities in cinema; the effect they have on an audience, the theories behind them, and the way they represent groups in society.

Key Texts

Del Toro, Guillermo, 2006. Pan’s Labyrinth, Estudios Picasso. Kelly, Richard, 2001. Donnie Darko, Pandora Cinema.

Aims of Research In this investigation I aim to understand how alternate realities are used in cinema as well as why they are used.• I will look at how films with an alternate reality pose questions to the

audience. For example these films do not have a clear outcome, instead they make the audience wonder and try and figure out what happened.

• I will also look at how the concept of alternate realities is shown and addressed to the audience and whether or not the audience can tell the difference between these and actual realities.

• One further area I will look at is the representation of youthI will look at this through the use of micro elements, in particular mise-en-scene and sound.

Conventions

How are these worlds created? How does the audience know what’s real and what isn’t?Conventions have to be followed in order to create these alternate realms. Many films draw clear distinctions between the actual reality and the one which is created or formed.

Separating the Two WorldsWhat these films do successfully is make sure the two worlds are not too similar or dissimilar. This enables the audience to question the realities. One way in which they do this is by drawing the real and alternate world together. In Pan’s Labyrinth we can see Ofelia, The Faun and Vidal in the same shot (although we realize via a POV shot that Vidal cannot see The Faun). Here there is a character from the alternate reality and a character from the real world. In Donnie Darko the drawing together of worlds is via the use of real world characters in the alternate reality. Contrast this with Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. In this film the central character, Joel (Jim Carey) sees images from the imagined world intersected with images from the real world. Here the audience can clearly see a difference between the worlds as they’re not drawn together.

Mise-en-sceneWhen Donnie meets Frank for the first time there is dark lighting with blue tints. This is the same for when Ofelia meets The Faun. This is because the effect makes it look like a nightmare, a recurring theme throughout both films. Both Donnie and Ofelia are wearing nightwear, Donnie in pyjamas and Ofelia in a nightgown. The fact these characters have seemingly awoken and followed something again suggests that the two are, at this point, in a nightmare. There are also a lot of blacks and blues used here in both scenes. The blue night here also signifies the nightmare feel.

The use of sound in the same scenes I just referred to draw comparisons with conventional horror films. The Faun creeks when he moves, a sound reminiscent of a creaking branch in a horror film. The exaggerated deep voice also draws a similarity with a horror. The same goes for Frank in Donnie Darko, the effect on his voice is made to sound reminiscent to a horror film.

Sound

Posing QuestionsThese films along with other ones that feature alternate realities such as Christopher Nolan’s Inception and The Prestige and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind to name a few, make the audience question whether they can tell the difference between what is real and what isn't. This is by drawing comparisons between a real and a fictitious world.

Dreaming

In both Donnie Darko and Pan’s Labyrinth, the audience are made to question whether what just happened was a dream or not. This is conventional when looking at these films as a common theory to these alternate realities is that the central character was dreaming. For example in “The Wizard Of Oz.” (one of the earliest films to use an alternate reality ) the lead character Dorothy says “It wasn’t a dream, it was a place.” This could be suggesting it was a place in Dorothy’s mind rather than an existing land.

In the film Dorothy unintentionally goes to an alternate realm and is immediately told she is a good witch by Glinda, The Good Witch Of The South. This is a lot like in Pan’s Labyrinth when Ofelia is told she is a princes by The Faun. Throughout the films we can see these characters journey through a mysterious land with people and events influenced by the real world. At the end of the film the audience then question if what they saw was real or not. However, whereas Dorothy wakes up and talks of her dream, Ofelia draws her last breath near the portal to the underworld. Although we do see Ofelia one last time, this is in the underworld with her dead Mother, Father and The Faun. The fact no one else sees The Faun suggests he wasn’t really there, and was just a figment of Ofelia’s imagination.

Freudian Theory There is a widely held idea that “dreams represent a wish as fulfilled”This suggests alternate realities are created in the mind of the individual. Ofelia in “Pan’s Labyrinth” clearly wishes for fairy tales to be real, to her bugs become fairies and chalk is magic. She is obsessed by these tales, taking books around with her through out the film and telling stories to her mother and unborn brother. The film is often treated like a fairytale, to the extent that the film opens with “Once upon a time”In Donnie Darko, Donnie does not die in the alternate world created. Clearly Donnie wishes he lived instead of being crushed by the jet engine, so he creates a world where he sleep walks onto a golf course and conveniently avoids being “Smooshed.”

In ‘The Freud Reader’ Peter Gay states that “There is no difficulty in discovering the function of dreaming. It serves the purpose of fending off, by a kind of soothing action, external or internal stimuli which would tend to arouse the sleeper.” This provides an explanation as to why the lead characters access these alternate realities (if it is a dream). In order to repress the feelings and get away from the unpleasant life they lead, Ofelia and Donnie create a world in their head. This is form of escapism.

“The unconscious impulse makes use of this nocturnal relaxation of repression in order to push its way into consciousness with the dream.”

Escapism In Pan’s Labyrinth, the alternate reality could be seen as a form of escapism. The true horrors of the real world (fascism, sexism) are too much for Ofelia. In order to escape her step-father Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), Ofelia can go into the labyrinth where she is the princess Moanna. So even in a world where there are child eating monsters, that’s still better than the real world.

The same applies to Donnie, a world with time travelling grannies and a dead teenager in a giant bunny suit is better than the reality where he takes copious amounts of medication and is part of a dysfunctional family. These can also be tied in with the Freudian theory that dreams represent a wish fulfilled, as the central character’s wishes are to escape from their realities.

Is It A Dream?Although a dream in the eyes of many viewers, evidence suggests Donnie couldn’t have been dreaming. At the end of the film, the Darko family are stood outside the house grieving, and Gretchen pulls up. Gretchen (Jena Malone) shares a look with Rose Darko (Mary McDonnell). In this reality Gretchen is new to the town and has never met Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) so clearly the two have never crossed paths. However, the two clearly show a bond. Although the characters are unaware as to why, the audience speculates its meaning. The two characters know each other through Donnie, although from a different reality, where they were both close to Donnie. In this reality both Gretchen and Rose died. James Walter’s book “Alternative Worlds In Hollywood Cinema: Resonance Between Realms” concludes that Donnie (in the reality where he dies) erased time so that his Mother, younger sister and Gretchen can all be saved.

Use of Vulnerable YouthIn both my key texts the story is told through the eyes of an adolescent. Both Ofelia in “Pan’s Labyrinth” and Donnie in “Donnie Darko” are the focus of the narrative. The two main characters are manipulated by an elder being, The Faun and Frank respectively. The elder beings take advantage of this vulnerability and use them to perform tasks. If these characters were not this way then the story would not develop. For example Donnie wouldn’t burn down Jim Cunningham’s (Patrick Swayze) house and Ofelia wouldn’t have performed her 3 tasks if Frank and The Faun hadn’t told them to. Seeing the alternate reality through the eyes of a vulnerable adolescent means the audience will discover the new realm along with the protagonist.

Representation of Youth

Propp’s character theory can be applied with this. Donnie and Ofelia are the heroes and Frank and The Faun are the dispatchers. However they are both seen as anti-heroes. In these two films children are being represented as vulnerable, easily manipulated and gullible. The youth, unfamiliar to the realm they have just entered, need guidance through it. Both Frank and The Faun take authority over the children, telling them what and what not to do.

In Pan’s Labyrinth Ofelia is clearly told not to eat the grapes, an easy enough task, but she fails to do so. This could be because (although she’s aware of what will happen) she hasn’t thought through the consequences. The same applies for Donnie when he puts an axe through a water pipe. This is reflective of problems in real society. Children are very easy to trust strangers, like Frank and The Faun. This draws a comparison with the alternate world and the real one.

Both Ofelia and Donnie lack attention from their parents. Donnie’s family show more attention to their youngest. But also to the high achieving eldest child, Elizabeth (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Here we can see that Donnie’s family aren't actually too concerned about where Donnie is.

Instead of trying to find him they just leave a note on the fridge.

In Pan’s Labyrinth, Ofelia never knew her father and her stepdad doesn't care about her, the only time he refers to his new family is to talk about his soon to be born son. The captain also does not have time for his wife. Ofelia gets no real attention from her mother either, she sleeps with her, but she is otherwise occupied with her baby. Ofelia is lacking a father figure, so perhaps that’s why she looks up to The Faun.In the real world neither Donnie or Ofelia rarely get attention. This may explain why they create these alternate realities.

Vogler’s “Heroes' Journey"Vogler’s ideas fit exactly with my key texts. This is because the characters literally go from the ordinary world into a special word.

Mental Health Mental health is also touched upon in these films. This creates yet another theory as to why these realities could be created by the individual. The alternate realities could be created because of an individual’s mental state. Throughout Donnie Darko, we can see Donnie taking pills. Even in the alternate reality Donnie still regularly takes copious amounts of medication and sees a shrink. This shows his state of health is deeply rooted in his mind.

The world that Ofelia enters could also be a result of her mental state. Her fascination with fairy tales could have lead to hallucinations, which would explain why no one else can see The Faun other than Ofelia and why to everyone else the mandrake root is not living. (it is perfectly still and silent when Vidal picks it up)

ConclusionOverall, alternate realities successfully create a film where the audience isn't given an actual answer as to what the central character is journeying through. The effect these films have on the audience is a positive one. By looking at fan sites like donniedarko.org and published works like The Pan’s Labyrinth Book by Mar Diestro-Dopido we can clearly see the audiences of these films are dedicated to try and discover the meaning of the alternate reality as well as trying to understand the questions they pose. Clearly these films have lasting effect on the audiences.

FilmographyDel Toro, Guillermo, 2006. Pan’s Labyrinth, Estudios Picasso.Kelly, Richard, 2001. Donnie Darko, Pandora Cinema.Gondry, Michel, 2004. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Focus Pictures.Fleming, Victor, 1939. The Wizard Of Oz, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.