High Fidelity - Narrative Report

Rating: 9/10 (30 June 2005)

This film is built around different top 5 lists. The protagonist Rob Gordon (John Cusack) lets us into his life and through his depression and self-analysis he describes us his top 5 all time break up list, throughout the film. Stephen Frears uses a wide range of narrative techniques to make the film have a more entertaining yet poignant look at breaking up.
Frears uses a non-linear narrative to lay out the film so we can gain different information as the films goes on. When the film begins we start at the middle; this is the day when he and Laura (Iben Hjelle) first break up. Then eventually as his depression and self-analysis develops, flashbacks are used and we go to the beginning. This is where he begins to show us the start of his top 5 all time break up list. The film soon jumps back to where it left off and as Rob continues to describe his thoughts and feelings as he begins to show us more and more about his life.
Frears uses a restrictive narrative so we don't have any more knowledge about the break ups than Rob. This also gives Rob power over us because we will only know what he shows us. Frears also uses little cause and effect narrative in his film, he does this when Rob thinks about his top 5 break up list (cause) and then when he actually goes to visit the girls some time after (effect). During the middle he goes into more self-analysis and goes into more detail of why the girls might have "dumped" him and why it didn't work out.
As the film continues Rob also persists with how he and Laura could still work out. He goes into even more depression when he uncovers that Laura has been having an affair with Ian (Tim Robbins) this is when he really starts look at his life and then later decides to go and visit his ex girlfriends.
Frears also uses different narrative techniques to allow us learn more about him and the way he thinks. The most commonly used narrative technique is direct address. He mainly uses this when he comes to a point and he is unsure what he thinks so he decides to try and analyse what he thinks and come to a conclusion. He does this when he analyses the reasons why his mutual friend Liz (Joan Cusack) has just marched into the place he and his employees; Dick (Todd Luiso) and Barry (John Black) are hanging and she shouts at him "I talked to Laura, Rob. I talked to her and she gave me a little background" then she continues to describe what Laura told her and how she no longer thinks of Rob how she used to. This is when he directly addresses the audience and tells us what he thinks about the situation, or at least what he thinks he thinks. He tells us individually the five things, which Laura might have told Liz to make her act the way she did. I think this particular narrative technique is very effective as it shows us the way that Rob thinks and does things and also it also allows us to reflect on the way things occur.
Frears uses a series of images of which Rob imagines. He uses these when Rob is experimenting in his head so he can find out the truth to something. A good example of this is when he imagines Ian having sex with Laura after the break up. Yet we later find out that Laura has not yet had sex with Ian so Rob is clearly imagining things.
This film fits neither Propp nor Todorov's narrative models; however, it does almost fit Todorov's technique as it does have stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 of some description.