Singh Manasvi Film Derbyshire
Singh Manasvi Film Derbyshire
Research question: "In what ways do the narratives of 'Nocturnal Animals (2016)',
depravity, and the darker aspects of human nature within the context of a neo-noir
psychological thriller?"
Contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3-4
2. Delving into moral ambiguity and human depravity through cinematic mise en
scene…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5-10
4. Narrative structure…………………………………………………………………………………………………….14-
5. Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
films
references
Introduction
My extended essay portrays the genre of neo-noir psychological thriller movies.
Neo-noir psychological thriller is part of a broader category of neo-noir film theory. They
combine noir and psychological thriller elements to create a different cinematic experience. Noir
film theory is characterized by visual elements such as tilted camera angles or an interplay
between darkness and light. The theory has a common motif, which includes crime and
punishment, the upheaval of moral values, and a pessimistic stance on the meaning of life for
humankind. The theory also considers these neo-noir films to illustrate the means of addressing
philosophical questions about guilt, redemption, darker aspects of human nature, and human
challenges the viewer’s perceptions towards reality; the aspects of the films are mainly explored
through different elements such as noir-inspired visual styles, which include high contrast
lighting, urban landscape, to provide the overall sense of unease and tension in the film.
The film “Nocturnal Animals (2016)”, directed by Tom Ford, explores the complexities of
relationships and the consequences of past actions. The narrative structure illustrates the
blurred lines between reality and fiction, leading to a sense of moral ambiguity in the character’s
motivations and actions, which were questioned; it also portrays the themes of revenge and
David Fincher’s movie “Se7en” explores humankind's gritty and dark moral ambiguity. The film is
about two detectives investigating murders inspired by the seven deadly sins. The film portrays a
chilling atmosphere and a dull outlook on humanity, emphasizing the darker aspects of human
nature. Another movie by David Fincher, “Zodiac,” is a real-life story of the killer known as Zodiac
and its obsessive hunt for the murderer. The film further examines its themes of obsession and
paranoia of humankind because the characters are consumed by their hunt for justice. It also
digs into the investigations' outcome on the individuals involved and highlights its morally
In terms of their cultural context, each of these films reflects its anxieties and uncertainties
during their respective period; Se7en reflects on its skepticism and disenchantments of the
1990s, whereas “Nocturnal Animals” and “Zodiac” tap into fears and tensions in surrounding
relationships, identity, and crime. The film also reflects on society’s struggles for morality and the
At last, the American Neo-Noir psychological thriller genre has evolved over the years. While
classic film noirs often featured moral dissimilarity and intention, modern neo-noirs like these
three films embrace their moral ambiguity and complexity more, compelling audiences to defy
the darker aspects of human nature in a more nuanced and unsettling way.
Delving into Moral Ambiguity and Human Depravity
The neo-noir psychological thriller genre goes deep into the darker aspects of human nature and
moral ambiguity. Three films masterfully manifest mise en scene elements to create an
atmosphere that contemplates exploring the darker aspects of human nature within the context
Mise en Scene is vital in Nocturnal Animals and significantly contributes to developing the film's
theme. An example is when Susan receives the manuscript from her ex-husband, Edward, and she
fishes around into the dark and vengeful story within the manuscript.
represents the former, and the desolate settings of the novel instill a sense of loneliness and
moral dubiousness. The lighting, especially during the night scenes, tense the characters and
The movie's production design complements this merging and breaking of barriers. The interior
of Susan’s house is tidy and empty, and it looks like a distorted reflection of modern art.
Simultaneously, the novel's plot is rough and sparse: the landscape comprises mountains and
rocks, contrasting with Susan’s lifestyle. The concept of truth and reality is also depicted in terms
of brightness: The shades of the scenes show the audience Susan’s world in a greyish tone that
contrasts with the highly saturated scenes of the novel, leaving the audience to contemplate
The crime drama film ‘Se7en’ has a specific visual style, which its mise-en-scène embodies as a
dark theme. The film's geography, with stormy streets, murkiness, and enclosed areas, adds to
the menacing feeling and deterioration of the characters’ moral grounds. The city and the roads
take on the part of the story and represent the characters' evil and despair. This is prominently
seen towards the end of the movie when Detectives Somerset and Mills are caught in the kill
zone – a place that reveals the core of evil and essential evil character. (Fox)
Consistent with that moral decay, the film’s color scheme is nearly monochromic: predominantly
green, brown, and grey reinforce the film’s overall aura of decay and darkness. The utilization of
gloomy illumination and silhouettes adds the creepy sensation and confusion while the
In the ‘Zodiac,’ the mise-en-scene does not concentrate on exoticism and the stylized looks of
the thriller’s locations. The entire environment, the fashion, and the setting, particularly in the
last part of the movie, were well-realized, if only based on my conception of the 1960s and
1970s. The absence of bright colors and the presence of natural light enhance the setting since it
is entirely credible to believe that during such a tumultuous period, people’s homes would be
dark and small, with the curtains always drawn. The scene that depicts Robert Graysmith as a
main character falling into obsession and paranoia while chasing the Zodiac killers to the extent
of his transformation reflects on the opposing sides of human nature as depicted by what people
are willing to do in the name of seeking justice. (Newell) The film is accurate and gives an
excellent idea of the time in the newsroom scenes, especially in the neighborhoods where the
murders were committed. This gives truth to the plot, and it then becomes more accessible to
dismiss the gradual slide into obsession and the ethical dilemmas that the characters experience.
Comparison and Thematic Exploration through mise en
scene
Even as unique approaches in its aesthetic approach characterize each of these films, both films
have a range of similarities in mise-en-scene that are useful in the depictions of moral ambiguity,
the vices of man, and the darker part of the character. Low-key lighting, high contrast, and
cinematographic features, such as reflected light and DWV, help to establish an overall feeling of
ambiguity and build up several myths that refer to morality and psychological aspects of
characters’ personalities.
The contrast in the use of the geographical location, for example, where ‘Nocturnal Animals’
uses the urban/rural theme or the grimy city and the clean suburbs in ‘Se7en’ go hand in hand
with the moral relativism and the clash between dark and light that is also depicted in the movie.
Such contrasts pose the viewers with the central dilemma: distinguishing between good and evil
However, the staging of the films is an important trait and a depiction of the characters’ state of
mind, and the environment reflects their perception of reality. With ‘Nocturnal Animals,’ the
process of interlocking and merging the main character’s traumatic reality with the fiction she is
reading embodies her guilt and a feeling of being judged. In this same manner, the focus on the
Zodiac case in ‘Zodiac’ through the persistence of Robert Graysmith translates to the film’s
ambivalent tone and tension as the man becomes allured with the case.
By employing the concept of mise-en-scene in their movies, these neo-noir psychological thrillers
successfully create a thematic world where the audience is exposed to the trust and cohesion’s
underlying uncertainty and the human spirit’s evil shades. First, the visual elements add the
element of horror to the movie but simultaneously leave an aspect of interpretation, touching
Through these aspects of mise-en-scene, these films make the audience face their conscience
and check how far from the bottom people can sink. ‘Nocturnal Animals,’ ‘Se7en’, and ‘Zodiac’
movies belong to the neo-noir psychological thriller genre that presents the viewer with a
gratifying complex perspective on what it means to be a human and forces the audience to face
our primal instincts as well as our innate desire for justice that often produces moral and
psychological dilemmas.
On Emphasizing Moral Ambiguity and Human
Wretchedness with the Help of Cinematography
The neo-noir psychological thriller genre encompasses thriller and crime elements of human
nature, ethically ambiguous characters, and personal vices. All these movies are beautiful
examples of how the director and cinematography can use the camera to set the mood suitable
for the film's themes, including the ones of moral fresco, where human vices and the evil of the
Nocturnal Animals
of the film's message. An example includes a scene in the movie where Susan receives a
manuscript from her ex-husband, Edward, with a vengeful story of a man who toys with
women's lives and tracks their deaths within the novel. The light conditions used in the scenes
from Susan’s successful urban life, a whole of golden, natural light, contrast with the somber,
low-lighted gloom of the deserts in the novel, where everything is shadowy and deceitful. The
night scenes nicely support this aspect through the elements of shadowed and silhouetted
characters, which amplifies the psychological horror of the piece while accenting the themes of
It bears a dark and gritty tone, as evident through its camera work. Darker spots, low lighting,
and some shots that make the space feel more constricted are the techniques used in the film to
support the general feeling of sin and decay. We also have the settings as characters, where the
views in the movie often depict the wet streets, the dark alley, and all that with rain and
darkness, matching the shadowy world of the human characters. The way that the very last
meeting of Detectives Somerset and Mills with the bodily outcomes of the killer’s actions in the
very end of the film is the manifestation of the evil and ethical dilemmas of the characters with
the help of the low illumination and short focus as well as the organically connected elements of
The original cinematography for “Zodiac,” directed by David Fincher, places the viewer within its
late 1960s and early 1970s settings. The film instantly throws us back to that period through
natural ambient lighting, subdued earth-tone palettes, and handheld camerawork. This is
enhanced by long shots and deep focus, which create an authentic atmosphere of the period
while taking the tension and uncertainty a notch higher. One such scene is when Robert
Graysmith is descending into obsession and paranoia in his efforts to solve Zodiac killings. On this
note, through tight framing and claustrophobic compositions, he used in painting scenes of
Graysmith’s disintegrating psychological state and the darker side of humanity, from which we
clearly understood it just like he did. Meanwhile, life goes on as usual for most people in another
scene, with traces of unease subtly illustrated through insignificant details or changes in citizens’
Cinematography
Every film has different visual styles, but they also have common elements in their
cinematography that help explore moral ambiguity, human depravity, and the darker aspects of
human nature. The use of alternative lighting, bleak shadows, and atmospheric framing all
contribute to a sense of unease and uncertainty, mirroring its characters' moral complexities and
psychological depths. Another way that these movies highlight the themes of moral ambiguity
and the duplicity of human nature is through their contrasting color palettes and lighting
techniques, for example, juxtapositions between urban and rural landscapes prevalent in
Nocturnal Animals or between gritty cityscape versus pristine suburban neighborhoods featured
in Se7en. Furthermore, much like the plots, some films use settings as an extension of the
character's mental state by blurring the lines between reality and perception. In Nocturnal
Animals, Susan’s intermingling reality with her fictional account is seen through conflicting visual
styles representing her guilt and moral reckoning. Zodiac reflects Robert Graysmith’s obsessive
quest for truth through claustrophobic framing and handheld camera movement, which builds
disorientation and ambiguity in this film. With their excellent application of camera work, these
neo-noir psychological thrillers plunge the viewers into realities where moral lines are repeatedly
tested, and human wickedness is manifested. Besides generating a ghostly and disconcerting
mood, visual components in these films mirror the characters’ mental agony as well as the
ethical dilemmas they experience, hence encouraging viewers to evaluate their principles while
Thus, the narrative structures of “Nocturnal Animals”, “Se7en” and “Zodiac” all reflect on the
issues of moral ambiguity, evilness inside human beings and the sins within the set genre of neo-
noir psychological thriller. All these films use different storytelling approaches to explore
different aspects of their characters’ psychological and the often grey areas of their
environment.
"Nocturnal Animals" employs a complex, multi-layered structure that interweaves three distinct
storylines: Susan, the fictional novel within the film, and the imagining of the modern day Susan
and Edward relationship as well as their past. This intricate plot enables the audience to consider
the themes of betrayal, weakness and the outcomes of decisions made in a metaphoric sense.
The plot in the frame, set in the contemporary world, presents Susan as a successful but
disillusioned owner of an art gallery. The receipt of Edward’s ex-husband novel manuscript act as
a connector between the past and the fictional world depicted in the novel. The inner story,
where a gritty and ethically questionable story of Tony’s vengeful actions in West Texas is told,
reflects the emotional abuse that Susan and Edward suffered in their relationship. This is a
motion picture fiction depicting Ray Marcus and his crew indulging in brutal acts of violence. The
flashback story progression shows the stages of relations between Susan and Edward, pointing
to the ideas of betrayal, weakness, and the price of choices. Both of these narratives play off one
another to produce a psychological thriller that cuts right to the psyche of man’s inhumanity to
man. The novel in the film is an allegory to Edward’s existence and his interaction with Susan,
where weakness and betrayal are depicted in both . Such structure provides an opportunity to
introduce new information step by step, create suspense and make people think about the
unpleasant aspects of the characters’reality. It does this brilliantly in exploring moral complexity
“Seven” on the other hand uses conventional story telling with the narrative structure as a
powerful gum shoe detective who is investigating the murders related to the seven deadly sins.
This approach generates an impression that the evil in human beings is dominant and
unrelenting and with each crime squarely committing manifesting the worst in people. The film
begins by establishing the gritty urban setting and introducing the two main characters: Two
main characters of the movie are: Democrat investigator named young, optimistic detective Mills
and Republican one – more experienced detective Somerset who is planning to retire. Unlike
most serial killer shows or movies, the investigation in this series is linear, with the seven deadly
sins murders depicting the ever-darkening relationships between the characters and the growing
evil of humanity. The stylistic arrangements of the film’s narrative lets the viewers descend
deeper into the evil of “Se7en”. At elucidation of each crime the viewers are exposed to the
more sickening aspects of human behavior. The progression is linear which makes this
experience feel very predetermined, which is a feature of the world that the film portrays. The
structure also helps the picture paint gray shades of morality in the actions and choices of the
characters. Having laid the foundations and ‘bolts ’for the thematic developments in the film,
Somerset’s wildly disillusioned world outlook sets tension against Mills’ lessons-in-naivety,
culminating in a moral grey area that is ‘Se7en’. The story re-establishes ethical compass of
viewers and characters and makes them evaluate their own values and principles. Boots, besides
rounding the main sins described in the picture, draw Mills in moral conflict which results in
tragic decision of the character during the final scenes of the film. This ending draws focus to the
major themes of the film as a moral gray area, as well as the facets of darkness within people.
”Zodiac” has an unconventional plot since it is based on true events that occurred over four
decades of the interactions of the murderer with its victims, police, and media, and thus, its
narrative appropriately reflects the nature of the case. Thus, employing such visualization
techniques as switching between different time continuums throughout giving multiple angles to
the score, the move creates a rather disoriented outlook which aligns to the characters’
narratives. The first scenes cover the murders to the start of the investigation with the revelation
of the Zodiac killer and the primary characters of the movie including cartoonists Graysmith,
journalist Avery, investigator Toschi, and detective Armstrong. It then goes to depict how these
characters and others become involved in the chase of the Zodiac killer, covering different time
frames and viewpoints. This arrangement enables a rigorous examination of the obsession with
truth and justice, apart from the lengthy, mentally draining outcomes of crimes in a human
world. While previous works focused on external consequences and the nature of the conflict,
the movie depics the impact of the investigation on characters’ personal lives, showing how
obsession with the case and living in the environment where violence and destabilization are
leading to radicalization transform people. It is seen that the narrative structure does not tie up
all the matters, which adds to the theme of the film’s moral complexity. This imposes the reality
of the investigations and the audience’s impotent yearning for resolution. The open structure is
‘non-linear’, that is, does not provide a clear sequence of events to follow, and it is ‘asymmetric’,
that is, splits in many directions, and this format accurately conveys the escalating state of
confusion and fixation of the real-life case. This structure enables a richness of exploration of the
fundamental drive embedded in human nature, specifically, the pursuit of the truth and
retribution. It explores the psychological impact one is subjected to when dealing with some of
the worst aspects of human nature, which was portrayed best by how the characters evolved or
“Nocturnal Animals” (2016), “Se7en” (1995), and “Zodiac” (2007) can all be considered as neo-
noir films belonging to the psychological thriller genre as each of these projects addresses the
concept of the human vices in different ways. By analyzing the distinct strategies in the
narratives and themes of these films, the neo-noir genre proves that it has the capacity to
explore the psychological aspects of the characters and the dual nature of good and evil in a
world where the shades of the two are not easily discerned. There is one common idea that
unites all three movies; the focus on the theme of moral gray zone. The duality of reality and
fantasy and the portrayal of villains and anti-heroes is evident in “Nocturnal Animals” making the
audience wonder whether revenge and justice are realistic. ”Se7en” depicts a vision of the world
in which even seeking justice is not entirely free from questionable choices and actions; it ends
with a scene that makes both the protagonists and the audience face their own potential for the
use of violence. On the matter of moral analysis, “Zodiac” explores themes of obsession and how
Another focal topic in these films is the theme of sinfulness inherent in man. Say, “Nocturnal
Animals” provides the audience with fictional storyline that illustrates acts of violence, as well as
acts of cruelty, which is a portrayal of emotional abuse. Horrors of the ‘Se7en’ move from one
more horrible crime to the other and each of them takes the audience to the next level of evil.
“Zodiac” shows how the effects of a murderer are being felt for many years by the families of the
deceased, as well as those who completely dedicated their lives to solving the case.
Each presented film offers a deep insight into the darkest parts of human character. Based on
the concepts of betrayal, weakness, and retribution, the show “Nocturnal Animals” explores the
disturbing reality of the world. Alone, the characters, and viewers of ‘’Se7en’’ are left with no
doubts that evil exists and is within everyone. “Zodiac” shows how the extended process of
investigating violence impacts people’s psychological state and the instinct of people to
Answering the research question, these films showcase several possibilities of how the neo-noir
psychological thriller genre can tackle the fans’ interests via narrative construction and character
arcs. They demonstrate what kind of eternal issues the genre is able to address, how precisely
the subject matter can deliberately subvert moral boundaries and question the audience, and
what kind of truth it is able to tell about human beings. These kinds of movies portray
protagonists and stakes in moral gray areas to make audiences consider the ethics of certain
actions. They show how neo noir can be a useful approach in posing and problematizing issues of
In conclusion, it is pertinent to state that “Nocturnal Animals”, “Se7en” and “Zodiac” showcase
the epitome of neo-noir psychological thriller. By the means of experimental and unconventional
approaches to plot construction and by addressing such themes as evil and sin, they provide
valuable perspectives upon the human essence and the very nature of essense. Being critically
engaging and raising philosophical questions of morality and human mind, these films also enrich