Blog Assignment: Mis En Scene Scene Analysis:
Agata e La Tempesta (Silvio Soldini) 21:02
Note: Agata and the Storm can be watched in full on Netflix
The scene begins in the dark. There is no non-diegetic sound. Gustavo (Emilio Sulfrizzi) turns on a bedside lamp to reveal his bedroom where he is attempting to sleep next to his wife, whose leg we see tossed over his neck.
It is an eye-level, medium shot, which includes very little camera movement; there is only a slight zoom in towards Gustavo as he maneuvers out from beneath his wife’s leg.
The simplicity of the camera work along with the use of solely diegetic sound and light creates an intimate, realistic feel as we watch Gustavo grapple with the issue that is literally keeping him up at night — the fact that his deceased parents might not have been his biological parents and that his real mother may be an elderly woman on her death bed.
In this establishing shot, we are also given glimpses of the personalities of Gustavo and his wife, Ines (Marina Massironi). For one, it is obvious from the nice furniture and sheets that this is an affluent couple. The lamp Gustavo switches on is a white, modern design that looks very architectural. Gustavo is a successful architect with simple tastes. His notebook and watch sit on the bedside table by a photo of him and his wife. This suggests his disinterest in his marriage and home life by telling us that he works up until he sleeps. He is dressed in all light, neutral tones while in contrast; the leg of his eccentric wife is dressed in a pink, stripy pajama pant.
In the movie, the married couple is not communicating. Having the wife’s leg slumped over his neck is a clever way to show a disconnected relationship within the intimate setting of a shared bed.
Instead of waking his wife, Gustavo makes sure to quietly get out from underneath her limb and escape to the living room where he calls his sister. The silence of the scene points an ironic finger at the fact that the wife is a TV-talk show relationship counselor who focuses on communication but within her marriage there is hardly any open discourse at all.
Altogether, the mis-en-scene of the opening shot of this sequence in the movie, sets up a convincingly personal space in which the audience has the comfort to believe the unraveling story of Gustavo’s true past. In addition, the overwhelming simplicity of Gustavo’s costume, surroundings and personal belongings creates a disinterested starting point from which Gustavo will begin a personal journey of self-exploration and change.
SailFin Expressions 