Having explored verisimilitude [appearance of reality] in the representation of Aileen and then considered why it was 'broken' in the representation of Selby we now need to consider how the narrative of the film positions the audience regarding the actions of a woman who moves from possible 'victim' in the original murder of Vincent to the brutal, seemingly cold-blooded monster of the title.
The second killing is positioned at a very significant time in the narrative. we have seen Aileen's attempts to put her life back together - her desire to be normal, conventional. We have also seen the results of this - rejection, humiliation and, finally degradation at the hands of the patrolman in the underground car-park.
We have also witnessed the reactions of Selby - her anger, petulance, selfishness - that force Aileen to reveal what happened with Vincent and also her decision to return to her work as a prostitute.
Task:
- The second victim is portrayed as that: her victim. How is this done?
- Consider mise-en-scene elements
- does the representation of Aileen change at any time during this sequence?
- Do we understand anything new about her? what? how?
- Why does she kill him?
- why does the film's narrative representation of Aileen now change?
The next sequence takes us through a series of events surrounding Aileen and Selby. Each incident is now clearly there to shed light on their characters, to help us understand what it is that motivates them. It also illuminates the nature of their relationship. The incident at the funfair is one that we shall explore in lesson 5 as it seems key to understanding Aileen's emotional state and also seems to offer some insight into understanding why she may have become the 'monster'.
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