Slap

 Narrative

Equilibrium – Connor is a boxer who likes experimenting with make-up, but no one knows. His dad is his coach. He has a girlfriend named Lola and a best friend called Archie.

Disruption – Connor has put on a dress and make-up and sees Archie being chased by people that want to beat him up. Connor goes out to help him.

Recognition – Connor tells Archie why he’s dressed like he is and shows him his box of make-up.

Attempts to Repair – Connor goes to a birthday party dressed up, thinking that no one will think too much of it, but everyone mocks him. Archie kisses him, thinking he’s gay, and when Connor punches him, he exposes him to everyone and Lola is not having it.

New Equilibrium – Everyone knows about Connor and Lola isn’t with him anymore and he is left feeling very angry. 

Everyone in this film is the villain in one way or another. They all laugh at him at the party. Lola completely turns against him. Archie, who he thought was understanding, tells everyone what he’d shown him in confidence.

Cinematography

The film starts with a close up on Connor’s hands as he goes through his make-up, and the camera follows his hands as he puts it on. This helps to establish our main character and the theme of the film.

At the end, the camera is positioned below Connor as he is punching so that we can see his face, but it also creates a tense atmosphere as the audience is witnessing the action first hand and up close.

There is a long tracking shot that follows the three friends as they walk back from the gym. It helps to establish their relationships with each other. 

Editing

A smash cut is used to transition from his bedroom to the boxing ring. It’s a harsh cut to break the audience out of the quiet and into the violence. It creates a contrast.

There is a sort of match cut when Connor is looking into the broken mirror at the gym, and cuts to him looking into the mirror in his bedroom. The broken mirror could signify how broken he feels when he has to hide himself, and the not broken mirror could show that once he is free to be who he wants to be, he feels whole again. There is another match cut when Connor is walking away from the party to when he is walking to the boxing ring.

Slow motion is used when the guests at the party and cheering and clapping at him to demonstrate that his world is crumbling around him. 

Sound

There is a soundtrack that runs under most of the film.

There is lots of dialogue.

The sound of punching as Connor is sparring is important as it signifies the hardships he’s going through.

In the final scene the sound cuts out and leaves only the soundtrack as Connor is beating up the other boxer. This demonstrates that he’s not thinking clearly and is so blinded by anger that he doesn’t care about what he does. It shows that he feels numb. 

Props

Connor has a big box full of make-up products and magazine clippings from teen vogue that he hides under explicit magazines, so that no one will look under them or be suspicious.

Archie uses an ice pack after he’s been beaten up to show that he was hurt quite a bit.

Connor takes a bag with him to the party which is later revealed to have make-up in that he might have taken from Lola. 

Lighting

The film uses natural lighting as it is set mostly in the day and dull lighting is a feature of the drama genre.

At the party it is dark with coloured lights to give it that light-hearted atmosphere, but it also acts as a way of making Connor feel under pressure, as the lights are red when everyone is cheering and clapping for him. 

Costume, Hair and Makeup

This is a very important part of mise-en-scene for this film. Connor enjoys experimenting with make-up and wearing dresses.  This is seen as a stereotypical thing for homosexual men to do, even though it is just a stereotype and a lot of heterosexual men wear make-up. Connor’s love for make-up and dresses is no indication of his sexuality, so all it shows to the audience is that he hides this part of himself away and that the standards of life have caused him to live in shame.

When he is around other people, he wears casual clothes such as hoodies and tracksuits.

He goes to a costume party and all the other guests are dressed up. 

Setting

The film starts in Connor’s bedroom. Posters line the walls that were presumably put up to please/fool his dad – although Connor may have wanted them.

Connor does boxing and so a lot of the film is set at the gym where Connor’s dad is training him. It is a typically male sport and, as his dad is the instructor, he probably has to do it.

Connor goes to a birthday party and also saves his friend outside in the street. 

Character Expression

When Connor hears his dad coming, we see him visibly start to panic. This shows that he doesn’t want to get caught, and that if he was caught, his dad might do something drastic.

When Archie is in the toilet with Lola, he is smiling and laughing and seems very drunk. As soon as she leaves and is left alone with Connor, he sobers up and his face drops, showing his worry and concern as he knows how awful Connor must feel.

At the end, you can see the anger on Connor’s face as he beats the living daylights out of his boxing partner.