MovieChat Forums > Mommy (2014) Discussion > Has aspect ratio ever been used this way...

Has aspect ratio ever been used this way before ? Spoilers

posted 9 years ago by atclubsilencio
5 replies | jump to latest

Not so much the square image, but in the way the aspect ratio reflects/compliments the film by extension.

It seems so intimate and closed in, then magically opens during a time when everything is finally going right, only for reality to come crashing back down, or in this case, closing in again (with being served and reminded of Steve's fire and the resulting injuries.)

Later it opens up again, when we see the montage of how Diane idealizes/dreams/imagines a future that might never be. She's lost in this thought only for the aspect to once again close back in, as she comes back to reality, and remembers what her intentions and next step with Steve are.

I don't think I've ever seen a director play with the aspect ratio in quite this way before, yes there are many experimental films out there, but never have I seen just the size of the image used as symbolism before.

I'm tempted to say it's groundbreaking, regardless, it was an ingenious choice on Dolan's part.

[–] IMDB_Vits 9 years ago

OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL.

[–] Perception_de_Subconscious 9 years ago

In his previous film 'Tom à la ferme' Dolan essentially used aspect ratio in the same way, but reversed. The film is mostly in 1.85:1 but in key scenes the screen slowly narrows, not on the sides but at the top and the bottom, creating a sense of claustrophobia which reflects the protagonist's feeling of entrapment. So for a while the film is in 2.35:1 or even wider. It reminded me of Max Ophüls' 'Lola Montès' (1955), which matted out one or both sides of the Cinemascope screen (if I remember correctly) in more intimate moments but also to draw attention to a detail instead of just zooming in on it. I found its use of changing aspect ratio quite interesting in that film and found it unfortunate that no other filmmakers seemed to pick up the idea, but luckily now we have Xavier Dolan. Also maybe worth mentioning in this context is Abel Gance's 'Napoléon' (1927), a silent film that is of course in academy ratio but which in its last battle scene opens up to an insane aspect ratio of 4.00:1 with the use of three projectors showing one combined image that was shot using three cameras.

"Let's went, before we are dancing at the end of a rope, without music."

[–] henrimaine 8 years ago

I remember that Fahrenheit 451 (1966) manipulated the aspect ratio at specific moments to convey heightened tension. The Simpsons Movie (2007) also changed the aspect ratio during the movie for some symbolic significance.

[–] edgar959 8 years ago

only by the idiots on the internet

[–] guccipix 8 years ago

The aspect ratio in The Grand Budapest Hotel changes to reflect each time period. Not the same thing, but still interesting.