An Analysis of Representations in The Selfish Giant

As part of my coursework, I had to watch and then analyse 'The Selfish Giant', a film by Clio Barnard which was inspired by 'The Selfish Giant', written by Oscar Wilde. The film follows a young boy called Arbor, who has ADHD and his friend Swifty. These two boys get mixed up with stealing and selling scrap metal and it doesn't end well for either of them. For this blog post, I will be analysing the different social groups in this film. 

Regional Identity 

This film was placed in North England and from the different shots and locations you can assume that the area the characters live in isn't very nice and it's mainly an industrial town. 

A shot that shows an electric pylon in the midst of a scenic area.

27:10 - this shot is taken from just before the race with the horses

In this screen grab you can see a horse and a few men at dusk. You can hear lots of murmurs from the men that are in and out of the shot. The man on the far right is wearing a grey tracksuit with a logo on the front. This costume is similar to the men surrounding him as well, they're all wearing very casual clothes.  In the back you can also see a caravan that is presumably attached to the carrier they kept the horse in. This shot denotes that the people in this area are travellers. The audience can tell this, first of all by the horses. It's mainly known amongst traveller culture, that they keep horses, so straight away that tells the audience who the characters are. The clothes  that the men are wearing suggest that they aren't very educated. They're all wearing hoodies, with some of the older men wearing flat caps instead of hoods. Flat caps were popular in the 20th century, giving the audience some indication of when this film takes place. The lighting in this shot is fairly low key, but you can see just enough. I think the directors decision on filming this scene at dusk, instead of really late at night when its pitch black, denotes a type of innocence to the activity the men are doing. They're racing horses which is illegal, although they're doing it to make money. Money that presumably will go to improve their lives. They live in an industrial town, so they don't get that much money as it is, so they will do anything to obtain it, even risking their lives. In this shot the horse takes up two thirds of the screen, this is done to show the audience that this object in central to their lives. It puts more emphasis on the fact that they are travellers. 

Age

12:00 - Arbor tells his teacher to shut up after he gets sent to the study room for misbehaving in class 

In the shot before this, Arbor is misbehaving in class, chucks his pencil and paper on the floor and swears at the teacher. This connotes that he doesn't have much respect for the teachers at his school at this age, he doesn't value his education. The facial expressions of both Arbor and the teacher, connote the relationship they have together. They both look annoyed, on the teachers' face, he is frowning his eyebrows and looking down at Arbor. Arbors' face looks very clenched and he's avoiding looking at his teacher. This connotes how the relationship between these two characters isn't the strongest. This connotes the typical stereotype that today's generation has no respect for teachers and will do whatever they like, it conforms to this stereotype in this shot and throughout the film. 

20:47 - Price Drop attempts to hit Arbor but Swifty defends him.

Denoted in this shot is Price Drop trying to attack Arbor but Swifty jumps in and tells Price Drop to leave him alone because 'he's his mate'. You can also denote Mrs Swift in the background looking helplessly at the scene in front of her. This shot connotes how even though Price Drop is older, he's not better or more mature. He tries to hit Arbor, which is what a kid would do, he's not a grown up man. This leads us to believe that Price Drop is the archetype of the 'failing man', there is no hope for him. The name 'Price Drop' itself connotes he's failing, as it connotes he doesn't have much money to provide for himself or his family. Also the way he is dressed, in greys and blues, connotes depression in his life because he is failing, he's got nothing to do with his life now.

     This whole argument between Arbor and Price Drop started because Arbor wants to scrap the metal from the bikes, where as Price Drop wants to fix them and re-sell them. Swifty doesn't say anything until Price Drop tries to hit Arbor. He steps in and says 'get away he's my mate,' and pushes him away.  This connotes Swifty as the follower, he's loyal to Arbor and is also sensitive as he pushes away his own father when he is about to hit Arbor. This also connotes some maturity in Swifty as he's putting his friend before money, Price Drop would get more money for selling them than Arbor if he scraped them. But this doesn't matter to Swifty as he values Arbors' friendship over money. He has more sense of what's wrong and right than Price Drop. Price Drop may be older, but he is no role model to the kids in this film; he's a broken man, doing anything he can to save or get his hands on money to provide for his family. 

  Mrs Swift in the back is blurred due to the depth of field in this shot. Swifty protecting Arbor is the main thing in this shot, but there is some purpose for Mrs Swift to be there otherwise she wouldn't have been there. The director has blurred Mrs Swift to show how she is helpless in this situation, she can't do anything about Price Drop arguing with Arbor and also connotes how she can't do anything about where they live. 

Disability

00:53 - Where Arbor is underneath the bed. 

Denoted in this shot is Arbor underneath the bed and he is the hitting the top of it. From 00:53 - 1:01 you hear Arbor screaming and shouting 'I can't stand you! Bastards.' The fact that is the first shot you see in film, shows how the director has represented Arbor's disability as taking over his life. It's the first thing you know about his character from watching the film. It represents his disability in a negative light, as the shot isn't of him trying to fight the disability, but of him having an episode. The fact that the director has chosen for the first shot of the film to be his disability in the worst light, it connotes how the rest of the film, isn't going to be a happy ending. It's starting with a negative so it will presumably end with a negative, which is a typical convention of British Social Realism; they don't have happy endings. In this shot, the lighting is denoted as very low key, you can barely see his face, but you can hear clearly what is going on. This connotes how the disability has taken him over a person, it's what identifies him now. You can't see who he is, or what he looks like, just that he is an ADHD patient. This conforms to the stereotype that people with disabilities are helpless and have to get others to help them. You can see this in this shot, as Swifty, Arbors' best friend, has to help him calm down and get out from underneath the bed. Arbor has difficulty trying to calm himself down. This shows the clear archetype of Arbor as the lost boy. Arbor is connoted as the lost boy in this shot, as he is trying to find his way but his disability gets in the way.

09:13 - Arbors' mother asks if Arbor has 'taken his tablet'

Denoted in this shot is Arbors' mother asking if he took his tablet, after Arbor has another episode. He's shouting at his mother and calling her an 'ungrateful bastard' and then when his mother realises he's getting out of hand, she asks if he took his tablet. He says he has, but when she asks Swifty, he says no. This conversation connotes how this family in particular, think that taking the medication, will solve everything. They would rather treat the symptoms than the actual cause, they think that it's better for Arbor to behave 'normal' for a while and get him off their backs than actually spend money on proper treatment, like cognitive behavioural therapy. This conforms to the stereotype that if you take medication, you will automatically get better. Although, it's hard for this family to try anything that gets to the cause of his disability, as they don't have the money. It makes Arbors' disability worse as he's helpless in the sense that he has it and helpless in the sense that he can't do much about it. Arbors' mothers facial expression is one of worry but also annoyance. She's worried that Arbor isn't taking his medication, like any mother would be, but she's also annoyed at the fact he hasn't. If he did take his medication, her life would be that bit easier. While this conversation is going on, the director mainly shoots Arbors' mother, instead of Arbor, I think this is done to connote how the people around Arbor suffer because of his disability. Although he is helpless, he affects the people around him. 

45:45 - 46:20 - A collection of shots showing how disability is seen in a negative light.

In the first shot, you see Arbor drinking an energy drink. In the background you can hear Kitten say 'you're hyper enough as it is, you need tranquillisers'. This speech connotes how Arbor isn't really seen as human because of disability, Kitten says he needs 'tranquillisers' which are mainly used on animals. It's connoting how Arbor is an animal, just because he is hyper, he can't be still, which is a symptom of ADHD. Kitten then tells him to 'bugger off'. This connotes that because Arbor has a disability, Kitten doesn't want him around the horse as he doesn't want anything to happen to it because he knows Arbor is unpredictable. This then comes to life in the second shot, where you can denote Arbor picking up the reigns of the horse and is ready to ride him. Arbors' facial expression is denoted as very innocent, he looks content with just being able to ride the horse. The third shot is when Kitten catches Arbor and pulls him off the horse. As you can see, Kittens facial expression is very vicious and harsh. It connotes how he has no consideration for Arbors' disability, he doesn't understand that it makes him act without thinking. He pulls him off in such a vicious manner, that Arbor ends up on the floor. In the fourth shot, denoted is Arbor on the floor and Kitten standing up. Kitten is standing very tall and upright, where as Arbor is sort of hunched on the floor, he's made to look small. This shot connotes how Arbor is seen as little because of his disability. It also puts Kitten as the typical archetype of the 'weak but aggressive man'. He is abusing and picking on a little boy that has a disability to make himself feel big. He's putting Arbor down and excluding him from things, such as riding as horse, because he has ADHD. 

Social Class

33:05 - Arbor waits outside Swifty's house.

Denoted in this shot is Arbor hanging around Swifty's house, swinging on the gate. He's wearing ripped clothes, presumably hand me downs. This connotes that his family's social class is either working class or underclass, as he's wearing clothes that aren't in the best condition. The colour of the clothes are all dark clothes, the blacks, dark greys are all very gloomy. Connoting how his life is very gloomy because of his social class. It represents the underclass as very poor and having to just get by. 

13:36 - The inside of Swifty's house. 

In this shot you can see barely anything. The shot is just of some clothes on the floor and a blurred image of a little girl. I chose this shot to represent the Social Class in this film as it emphasises how this family really has nothing. All the colours in this shot are very dark, it makes the area look even more dingy. The clothes on the represent how very little space they have in the house, it's very crowded. The director has used depth of field here to make the audience feel emotional. It shows a little girl looking at her living room. There's nothing there and that should be no place for a kid to be. She's blurred as she can't do anything about it, she's only young and has be born into this horrible situation. This shot conforms to the stereotype that the underclass are poor and helpless. Price Drop is having to sell his sofa where all the kids sit, just to make £250, for the electricity and heat. It's a scene you wouldn't expect to see in 2014 Britain, but this shows how it does still occur in some parts. 

31:14 - Mrs Swift tells Swifty he must go to school. 

In this shot, the dialogue is more important that the actual picture. Mrs Swift tells Swifty 'I want better for ya, if you're to get on, you've got to go to school.' This dialogue represents how Mrs Swift wants Swifty to get an education, she doesn't him to turn out like her husband, Price Drop, she wants him to get far in life and leave the underclass society. This conforms but also challenges the stereotype of underclass people. It conforms to it as some people from the underclass try to go out and get an education and be better, which is what Mrs Swift tells Swifty to do. But it also challenges the stereotype as many of the underclass are happy to take benefits and live in beaten down areas, but here Mrs Swift is pushing Swifty to be better than that, she doesn't want him just getting by, she wants him to be doing well and to do that he has to get an education. 

Gender 

12:39 - Price Drop shouts at Mrs Swift

Denoted in this shot is Price Drop shouting at Mrs Swift about the electric. He tells her 'look at you, you're useless aren't you, you're meant to put money aside for the electric.' This connotes how women are seen as second class citizen in this film. He calls her 'useless' and the way his body language is towards her also connotes that. He's towering over her and is pointing at her, while she's facing away from him and looking down. She is downgraded to being 'useless' even though she is the one that's trying to make the kids their food while Price Drop is just standing in the kitchen shouting at her. The lighting in this shot also connotes how she is a second class citizen because she's a woman. Price Drop is much more lit than her, while she is in the shadows, it connotes how woman are only important when they're made to feel like they are. At this moment in time, she's in the 'shadow' of Price Drop, she has to agree with him and listen to his abuse as without him, her kids wouldn't even have food. He is the provider of the house, so she takes the abuse for her children. In this scene, Mrs Swift conveys to typical archetype of the 'downtrodden woman'. Her life is very hard and she gets abuse from everyone, but she sticks with it. This shot conforms to the stereotype that women are seen lesser than men as Price Drop is insulting her, but she can't do anything, because she's a woman. 

28:56 - When the men are racing horses

This shot shows a typical stereotype of men in the film. Denoted in this shot are lots of men following the horses in their cars. As you can see, they're all hanging out of the cars and when Kitten tells the man at the front to get back he tells him to 'fuck off'. This connotes the typical stereotype that men are all very rowdy, loud and explicit. They're all shouting and swearing for no reason. They're not mad at each other, they're just racing the horses, but feel the need to have their voice heard over the rest. The fact that there is different ages of men in this shot but they're all acting same, also conforms to stereotype that all men are loud. The activity they are doing is illegal, they're racing horses on a road. This conforms to the stereotype that men usually act before they think. They haven't thought about the consequences of this race, they just gone right ahead and done it. 

Sexuality 

08:04 - Arbors' brother is talking about Arbor and Swifty's relationship

Denoted in this shot is Arbors' brother saying to Arbor 'this is the first night I've not seen you and your boyfriend fucking spooning'. From this dialogue you can tell the type of attitude this town has towards homosexuals. His brother has taken the relationship between him and his best friend and turned it into one that doesn't exist. The way he speaks about it shows how he's uncomfortable. He uses the term 'fucking spooning', he curses when he says it, which brings a sort of harshness to his dialogue. But this has no affect on Arbor, he doesn't say anything back, which leads us to believe that he is okay with his brother saying these things. It doesn't mean that he's homosexual, but it means that he has the same attitude to it as his brother. It's casual homophobia, they don't stick up for homosexuals when they insult each other using the word 'gay'. It's been engraved into their culture that being gay isn't right. 

Ethnicity 

11:17 - A shot from the classroom scene

In this film there are very little different ethnicities, it's mainly just white people. The shot above shows only one asian person in the midst of white people. This is done to show how this underclass town is predominantly filled with white people. It conforms to the stereotype that it's mainly white people that are underclass as they're lazy. 

12:23 - A shot from the kitchen which is crowded with all the kids asking for their food.

Denoted in this shot, is some of the Swift family in the kitchen wanting their food. There's a different age range of children from toddlers to teenagers. This shot represents to the audience that this family doesn't have much as the only food they're eating is beans on toast and one of the boys says 'beans on toast again, I hate this!', this connotes how this is presumably a food they have a lot as it's cheap to buy and make. It connotes how the white people in the underclass society, barely just get buy. They don't manage their money properly, so the children are left having the same food every day. This shot also connotes the typical stereotype that white families have too many children but can't look after them. This stereotype is definitely true of this family. In the shot above you can see four of the Swift kids, but there are also more off the shot, all with hardly anything to eat. The directors decision of not having all the kids in the shot, makes this moment even worse as the four kids in the shot are suffering, but then you realise that there's more kids that are going through the same thing in the same house. It's a brutal way of showing the representation. In the shot you hear all the kids shouting and talking very loudly, which also conforms to the stereotype that white families are very rowdy. 

In this film, the director has represented the different social groups so well and I hope that I can do this when I make my film. I will definitely take some ideas from this film, such as how the social class is represented and I will try to find an area that is similar to this as I thought it connoted British Social Realism very well.