Applying Lacan's Theory
Good Will Hunting (1997)
In order to apply Lacan's Mirror Stage to a film, I am choosing to analyse a scene from the film 'Good Will Hunting'. This scene explores the macho attributes of Will (Matt Damon) and the parental perception of Sean (Robin Williams). In the beginning of the scene, Will hunting - the protagonist, enters an already tense environment, providing some form of premonition that Will's mind is on the verge of snapping. As the scene progresses, the space between each moment of speech is filled with the diegetic sound of the rustling of papers, and the footsteps of the characters; the use of purely diegetic sound creates a more intimate setting as the conversation shifts to an intense moment. Will's counsellor, Sean (Robin Williams), finds out that Will suffered severe physical abuse as a child, and this is the reason for his detachment from society and his feelings; the past trauma has caused will to develop a lack of trust and commitment. As Sean reveals the story of his abusive, alcoholic father, a close-up of Will's face and eyes shows how familiar he is with his experience. Will explains if his 'fear of abandonment' is the reason for his breakup with his girlfriend and lets out a nervous laugh, displaying that he tries to subdue his feelings anyway possible, whether it be humour or violence. Sean himself states that Will's 'tough guy' facade is just because he is scared. When asked to talk about his feelings, Will hastily replies 'no', however the prolonged mid-shot focusing on Will displays his body language clearly; the fact that his smile fades and that he is hunched over, avoiding eye contact, highlights that it is a subject that affects him directly. Will longs for support and effectively a 'shoulder to cry on', but what he lacks is the ability to open up to someone for fear of seeming vulnerable - hence the recurring confrontations, and the only way he believes he will fix this is by trying to impress everybody. Interestingly, the conversation is shown using only over-the-shoulder shots, providing a greater sense of personal relation between the two, but also a sense of integrating the audience into the perspective of each character with each cut. The defining moment of this scene arises when the emotion is Sean's voice becomes clear and apparent, as he begins repeating 'it's not your fault' to Will, in an effort to break down his walls and get the reaction he desires. Will intentionally avoids the true meaning of these words by simply shrugging off the statement by replying with a brief 'i know'; again, Will resorts to confrontation as a coping mechanism, as he stands up to tower over Sean, to attempt to gain some sort of authority in the scene. Despite this, Sean presses on, repeating the phrase, as Will begins to break down, he retorts with a shoving Sean accompanied with 'don't fuck with me Sean', showing a brief moment of aggression and vulgarity - which clearly reveals that in all his life he has only ever learned to deal with his emotions in this manner and that he lacks the ability to confront himself and his feelings. Will accepts Sean's words as truth, and begins to cry hysterically, as he finally allows someone to show him the love he was refused during his childhood, it is in this moment that Will finally has fulfilled his lack, and his desire for someone to care; this is shown by the strong embrace, that emphasises the strength of Will's pain, and how much Sean has become a father figure to Will.
In order to apply Lacan's Mirror Stage to a film, I am choosing to analyse a scene from the film 'Good Will Hunting'. This scene explores the macho attributes of Will (Matt Damon) and the parental perception of Sean (Robin Williams). In the beginning of the scene, Will hunting - the protagonist, enters an already tense environment, providing some form of premonition that Will's mind is on the verge of snapping. As the scene progresses, the space between each moment of speech is filled with the diegetic sound of the rustling of papers, and the footsteps of the characters; the use of purely diegetic sound creates a more intimate setting as the conversation shifts to an intense moment. Will's counsellor, Sean (Robin Williams), finds out that Will suffered severe physical abuse as a child, and this is the reason for his detachment from society and his feelings; the past trauma has caused will to develop a lack of trust and commitment. As Sean reveals the story of his abusive, alcoholic father, a close-up of Will's face and eyes shows how familiar he is with his experience. Will explains if his 'fear of abandonment' is the reason for his breakup with his girlfriend and lets out a nervous laugh, displaying that he tries to subdue his feelings anyway possible, whether it be humour or violence. Sean himself states that Will's 'tough guy' facade is just because he is scared. When asked to talk about his feelings, Will hastily replies 'no', however the prolonged mid-shot focusing on Will displays his body language clearly; the fact that his smile fades and that he is hunched over, avoiding eye contact, highlights that it is a subject that affects him directly. Will longs for support and effectively a 'shoulder to cry on', but what he lacks is the ability to open up to someone for fear of seeming vulnerable - hence the recurring confrontations, and the only way he believes he will fix this is by trying to impress everybody. Interestingly, the conversation is shown using only over-the-shoulder shots, providing a greater sense of personal relation between the two, but also a sense of integrating the audience into the perspective of each character with each cut. The defining moment of this scene arises when the emotion is Sean's voice becomes clear and apparent, as he begins repeating 'it's not your fault' to Will, in an effort to break down his walls and get the reaction he desires. Will intentionally avoids the true meaning of these words by simply shrugging off the statement by replying with a brief 'i know'; again, Will resorts to confrontation as a coping mechanism, as he stands up to tower over Sean, to attempt to gain some sort of authority in the scene. Despite this, Sean presses on, repeating the phrase, as Will begins to break down, he retorts with a shoving Sean accompanied with 'don't fuck with me Sean', showing a brief moment of aggression and vulgarity - which clearly reveals that in all his life he has only ever learned to deal with his emotions in this manner and that he lacks the ability to confront himself and his feelings. Will accepts Sean's words as truth, and begins to cry hysterically, as he finally allows someone to show him the love he was refused during his childhood, it is in this moment that Will finally has fulfilled his lack, and his desire for someone to care; this is shown by the strong embrace, that emphasises the strength of Will's pain, and how much Sean has become a father figure to Will.
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