Film, Illusion & Spectatorship, Part 3: Just act normal.

In Part 1, we discussed how the slickness of Hollywood movies turns audiences off to movies with ambiguous endings.

In Part 2, we explored how audiences don’t like it when movies remind them that they are fake.

Now, in Part 3, we examine how audiences react when either the acting style or the character depictions fall too far outside of the norm.

In the same way that movie goers reject visual artifice, such as unnatural lighting, awkward angles, or over-the-top mise-en-scene, they also reject both character behavior and styles of acting (and, hence, styles of directing) that fall outside of what is considered “normal.”

Before we go on, we want to be very clear that we are in no way defending bad acting or directing.  Our focus for this exploration is on what is considered normal and acceptable as dictated by most Hollywood films and Hollywood-style realism.

For an extreme example, take the actors in John Waters films. We love John Waters, and one thing is undeniable: when you watch his movies, you can see his actors acting. Some might call this bad acting, but we ask you to consider this: they were probably just doing exactly what they were told (and the consistency of how people behave across the Water’s oeuvre supports this).  They’re not trying to replicate regular ways of talking or behaving. They’re interacting in an entirely unique world that can’t be found outside of the theater (or the home entertainment center).  This makes people uncomfortable.

Yet, it’s not simply because the characters themselves are strange or out of the ordinary.  It has a lot to do with how the actors and actresses present themselves, how they act.

Think about movies that depict completely fictional communities (talking animals, aliens). Now think about how those characters interact with each other and the worlds they live in.  Do they talk to one another?  Yes.  Do they usually have a goal similar to a goal you might have? Yes.  Do they use social niceties? Yes.  Are there blow-ups and reconciliations that need to be resolved by the end of the movie?  Yes.  All interactions in these movies, no matter how “out there” the movie’s world seems, start and end in ways that would be recognizable in the real world.

In John Water’s movies, though, the characters do things that “normal” people don’t do.  And, as a result, the actors act in ways that “normal” actors don’t act.  They talk funny. They hump chickens. They talk in strange voices. They use weird gestures and crude language.  (Remember in Female Trouble when Dawn Davenport, angry because her parents didn’t get her cha-cha heels for Christmas, knocks a tree onto her mother and screeches, “Get off me you ugly witch!  I hate you!  I hate this house!  And I hate Christmas!”)  The actors aren’t trying to fool you into thinking that they’re your next door neighbor or your long lost love (though John Waters would like you to believe they are); they’re highlighting strangeness, uniqueness, and quirky (often over-stated) individuality.  To audiences used to sleek, relatable Hollywood characters, this strangeness is uncomfortable to watch and, subsequently, rejected.

But how could anyone want to reject this stunning, hideous family?

While John Waters has actors portray outrageous characters in outrageous ways, David Lynch comes at it from a different angle. He sometimes takes characters we know and love (the girl next door, for example) and has his actresses portay them in slightly off ways.  Thinks about Laura Dern in Blue Velvet.  Sheryl Lee in Twin Peaks.  Naomi Watts in the first half of Mullholland Drive.  They’re just as beautiful as other versions of the character.  Just as optimistic.  Just as perky and bubbly.  But all three characters are played just left of normal. There’s something slightly off, slightly awkward about these characters.  Something familiar is suddenly unfamiliar, and this scares people.  The audience becomes uncomfortable and some run for the door.

And when they’re running for the door, they’re really missing out.  We’ll explore that further in the next installment.  In the meantime, Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive anyone?