DISTINCT Film Opening Analysis - What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath Film Opening – DISTINCT Analysis

Describe (In detail): A woman alone in her apartment senses something from her bathroom and appears to be disturbed by a supernatural force. After checking the bathtub, an eerie message appears on the mirror. When she retreats to her computer, something is typing repeated words onto the screen.

Setting: This clip is set in a very rudimentary apartment, going from the living room to the bathroom. The entire apartment is painted in dull grey tones, giving it a dark and creepy atmosphere.

Themes: Themes shown in this clip include isolation, fear, confusion and the supernatural.

Icons: Icons shown in this clip could be the bathtub and misted-over mirror, as they both provide elements of suspense and horror to the plot due to the main character checking them, and then seeing the threatening message written into the steam on the mirror. Another icon is the lamp, as it lights up the steam coming from the bathroom, letting the main character know that someone has been in there recently.

Narrative: After coming out from the doorway of her bedroom and making her way into the living room, the main character spots steam rising over a lampshade, which is coming from her bathroom. Entering the bathroom, she checks the mirror, which is steamed over, then the bath – which, although it has water in it, is empty. Upon checking the mirror for the second time, she finds the message ‘YOU KNOW’ written into the steam, by someone other than her.

When she runs to her computer, she finds that someone or something is typing three repeated letters into the keyboard.

Character: The main character is a Caucasian woman who appears to be in her thirties or forties, and seems relaxed until noticing the steam coming from the bathroom. Her demeanour then changes and she seems agitated and fearful

Textual: The camera shots are wide and smooth, and mainly follow the main character where she walks.

CLAMPS: The main character is wearing very plain clothes – a grey, long sleeved shirt and black trousers, adding to the bleak atmosphere. Another addition to the dreariness is the cool-toned and slightly faded lighting, which makes the whole clip seem shadowed and grey.

Sound: The whole clip is extremely quiet, a technique to build suspense – however, when the main character spots the message in the mirror she cries ‘What do you WANT?’, and a loud burst of atonal string music is heard, interrupting the silence. The music builds and continues as she runs to her computer and sees the letters being typed.