One moment from Shark in the Head in which setting plays a prominent role is… the entire movie. It was shot almost entirely in front of an old man’s window, for the love of Urban Meyer!! OK but seriously, one moment that is worth taking a look at is when the protagonist discovers the construction going on and decides to join in on what some might consider fun. It starts out when he is going through his usual routine – looking out the window as the world passes by – and begins hearing a loud racket which we discover is all thanks to a construction crew. After realizing what is going on, our protagonist heads over to help them out and quickly integrates with the crew, even bringing 6 beers to them at one point as they all take breaks from a hard day’s work. The director deviates in this scene from traditional depictions of setting and the classical paradigm to create symbolism by having it all take place mere steps away from the old man’s front door. It shows us that even though his world is confined to a tiny area, he somehow manages to find interesting things to fill his time with as well as interact and meet new people. Despite how small one’s world may be, it is always possible to reach out as our protagonist did here.
Does this film achieve style, or is it a film of manner? Does a sillier question – other than this one – even exist? There is essentially no story to tell, which leaves us with only one option… Style! Most interesting is the film’s constant back and forth between diegetic and non-diegetic details. As an audience, we are addressed directly by the actors a couple of times (when the dancers all turn and shove their arms out, and when the scene opens with all of the actors standing and looking at us before resuming their daily activities), and it is not made clear whether or not the main character is/would be aware of these moments. Are they in his head? Is it some sort of director decision to give us a glimpse of how he feels? Certain questions are left unanswered.
