Exam Question: No Country for Old Men & Captain Fantastic

How far do your chosen films demonstrate the importance of visual and soundtrack cues in influencing spectator response? Refer in detail to at least one sequence from each film (40 marks).

The films “No Country for Old Men” and “Captain Fantastic” demonstrate the importance of visual cues in numerous occasions through the film which, at the same time, manipulates the audience response to align with certain characters. The introduction of the film directed by the Coen Brothers and the “Captain Fantastic” funeral scene have similar ways of mise-en-scene that influence the audience’s perspectives to side with whom they want them to sympathise with.

The voice of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell presents the film with a sincere and sensitive monologue about himself while showing still images of the countryside of Texas. This opening makes the audience automatically align with the Sheriff, in spite of not having seen him yet, as he is being open about his fears, his past and his family. His deafening voice represents the passing of time, accompanying the theme of past and future as well as the sun rising until the police car appears on camera. Following the Sheriff’s words about criminality getting more complex with the passing of time, a cop walks with a man in handcuffs towards the car. This man stands out from the country scenery: his black hair combining with his dark clothes, completely out of place, similarly like Ben and his family in “Captain Fantastic”. They had entered the church where the funeral for Leslie was being held, wearing colourful clothes and transmitting happiness, the opposite of what was expected and accepted from the ceremony. They were the only exception to the traditional black clothing.
Chigurh, dressed in black, represents evilness in this film where one of the binary opposite themes are “good” and “evil”, while Ben and his family represent an “alternative lifestyle” in a traditional society. Both parties find themselves out of place in a cultural environment mainly shown through their clothes.

Chigurh’s face is not shown clearly during the first minutes of the film, preventing the audience to find some kind of sympathy for the character whose illegal actions remain unknown. The audience does not know what he did to be in that position in the first place. In comparison to him, the funeral scene from “Captain Fantastic” does show the perspective of the characters which allows the audience to read their body language and facial expressions. It is easier for the audience to sympathise with a certain character when they can see them and perceive what they are feeling. Ben’s sister, for example, is happy to see the family at the funeral in spite of having created a commotion with their entrance. Her reaction differs from other characters like her own sons, who laugh at their clothing, or Jack, who is clearly annoyed to see his son-in-law not respecting the tradition.
In this scene, the audience sees the two opposites face to face: “traditional” and “alternative lifestyle”. Ben presents a testament from Leslie confirming that she wanted to be cremated and have her ashes thrown down the toilet of an airport. She practiced Buddhism and Jack was disrespecting her wishes by having a traditional funeral. Although it is perceptible that Jack is a traditional man, part of the high class, and does not understand Leslie’s thought process, the audience generally side with Ben in this situation. He is presented as a husband who wants to fulfill his late wife's wishes and remember her happily. Jack, on the other hand, has an aggressive approach towards this: he does not understand it and is confused why someone would want to have a different type of funeral. He does not want to see Ben, the husband of his passed daughter, as he sees him as the man who killed his daughter – his point of view is comprehensible although not convincing enough to have the audience siding with him. Based on narrative, the spectators are encouraged to side with Ben and his contemporary views, the opposite with Chigurh’s character. 

The introduction of his character is quite unique and tells the audience that he is the antagonist of “No Country for Old Men” even without having a clear shot of him. Having him arrested, in handcuffs, not giving a hint of what he had done and not showing his face, makes the audience curious and want to discover more about the mysterious character that is Chigurh. In the following scene, the framing of the police station is designed too to have the audience wonder about the character – unfocused, sitting in the dark on the side of the frame. Once again, the use of light and colour creates a subtle differentiation between characters and what they represent, which hints the audience who they should morally side with, unconsciously even. Chigurh strangling the innocent cop moments later leaves the audience without doubt what his role is and what he represents.

The subtlety and the attention to details that directors like the Coen Brothers give to their film makes the audience create opinions of certain characters based on the framing, the alignment of characters, lighting and mise-en-scene, which usually inspires to think further and create theories afterwards. Films like “Captain Fantastic'' also makes the audience doubt about what is morally correct when two different sides are presented: tradition versus contemporary thinking. This encourages the audience to reconsider traditions and side with the character that is presented as the most likeable or similar to what is morally correct, again through lighting, mise-en-scene, framing and alignment with the characters.