Echo (2013)

 Echo (2013) directed by Lewis Arnold is the story of a young girl, who after getting a phone call, is alerted with tragic news regarding her father, a trauma which she appears to be reliving and abusing. 

Narrative ambiguity 

The film's lack of adherence to a 3 act structure results in significant ambiguity surrounding the sequence of events and consequently flexibility, the beginning could be the end or vice versa. If that was the real phone call, it could then show her repeating the phone call (the normal start), and then finally, the argument with her mother and her brother in the garage (usual middle). However, if arranged in this structure, this would be less engaging of an arrangement, and the name 'echo' wouldn’t fit as there'd be no sense of echoing because the story would unfold linearly. 

Due to the narrative ambiguity, the spectator is therefore also left to debate which parts of the film are real and which are products of the girl's mind. The story unfolds in a way that blurs the lines between memory and present experience, creating a sense of disorientation.

The ending is also highly effective as, being open ended, we as the spectator don't know if the main character will continue in her escapade or stop. It is satisfactory in a certain way as the sense of ambiguity and uncertainty allows the spectator the space to question and think, somewhat reaching their own conclusions and endings. However, it could also be argued that the ending is moreover unsatisfactory as it raises more questions than it answers, consequently truly depending on the viewer experience that the spectator wants.   

Cinematography 

In terms of the cinematography, close ups are utilised throughout the film to depict the main character's emotional range and volatility, how she can go from distraught whilst reliving the tragic incident to calm once shes left the scene. Therefore, the cinematography and variety of shots are essential in effectively portraying the film's emotional landscape and hidden complexities. 

The use of dull and muted colour grading throughout the film is also essential in creating this aesthetic and tone of tension, vulnerability and a disorientation of perceptions. The palette is dominated by cool tones and greys, which reinforce the sense of isolation and emotional distance experienced by the girl and her surroundings, whether it be her family or the public. 

Mise en scene 

Mise en scene components are also carefully crafted to reflect the girl's psychological state and sense of being stuck in living in a certain experience / trauma. The settings she appears in are often dimly lit and confined, such as her room and outside her house. However these sets contrast with that of the streets where she's lost within the chaos of people, seeking solace but still isolated.

The use of costume is particularly important when it comes to exploring the sequence of events as throughout the film the girl appears in her school uniform, this is until the last scene where she's wearing other clothes, therefore singling it out as an event of significance, maybe the event that started it all. 

The main character 

The spectator has a conflicted relationship with the main character throughout the film, ranging form a constant theme of sympathy for her situation to moments of confusion as to why she's reliving and exploiting this experience in such a way. The initial waves of empathy are replaced by shock once the spectator realsies that the girl is lying about her situation to the strangers, however as the psychological depth and understanding of the film increases, we come to realise the truth of her situation, and how its not so much that shes ‘lying’ or ‘scheming’ that she's ‘reliving’ the trauma of her memory. In her own way it appears that she's trying to process her trauma, or even relive it as she can't imagine simply moving on without paying her respects or holding on to it constantly.