Amazing cinema...absolutely riveting

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2006)

Amazing cinema...
V For Vendetta is a great film and its presentation, despite having a first time director at the helm, did evoke the acute feelings of complacency, oppression and hopelessness. The movie obviously presented a very oppressive society that can easily be termed "chilling" in terms of atmosphere. The expressionist shadows suggest a dark dystopian future with high contrasts between dark and light. This lighting scheme fits perfectly in the black and white atmosphere of this futuristic parable. It's not trying to show a realistic portrait that would have had a grayer atmosphere and a slower film stock or grainy style.
The audience is immediately put off by the oppressive regime and that's why from the very beginning, you can relate to V even though he is masked -- the use of close ups and extreme close ups of Vs face with full frontal shots gives you an affinity for the character and his struggles. On the other hand, Evey was in a lot of profile, quarter turn positions, which suggested that she was still unaware of what was really going on yet not completely alienated from the crowd because most of us after all are just as complacent as the people in this film. And yes, many of the frames were loose, which helped evoke feelings of complacency. As the film progressed, and as Evey began to transform, you are finally able to identify with her.
But also in such scenes as the prison/torture scene, extreme close ups and very tight framing suggested a claustrophobic atmosphere and a very high degree of hopelessness for the character of Evey. At this point, Evey has lost everything and must be reborn. When Evey is set free, the tight frames explode as Evey finally becomes a character that is no longer a slave of the system.
In the book, V argued that anarchy required a destroyer and a creator. A very clear parallel is drawn between V, who chooses to harm (fire) and Evey (water), who refuses to harm and doesn't want violence.
By the end of the film, through the many subtle indications and not so subtle film noir voice over of Evey, we can accurately predict that Evey carries on the job as V -- which is what happens in the comic. The only difference is that in the film adaptation, this is done with more subtlety and instead of donning the cape, the audience is left to decide whether Evey does carry out the duties. This is important because just as Evey transformed into someone we can identify with, she also became the audiences proxy for the world and thus the audience is left with an open mind as to whether violence is ever appropriate. If you believe that the ends justify the means and that V had a justifiable goal, then you will probably accept that Evey becomes V.
Yet the most plausible interpretation of this is that since, as in the novel, anarchy requires both destruction and creation, Evey's job is going to be very different from V's. This is why the revolution in the film is essential because the story needs to show that Evey will not have to topple a government any longer but will have to rebuild a newer utopia as the new V.
The love story between V and Evey is a metaphor for the overall themes of the story. As in the book, Evey makes V feel the humanity he has lost in so many ways. And V represents the freedoms, ideals and beliefs that Evey slowly comes to appreciate and love. Evey initially rejects V, just as she rejected his violent means of retribution, but as the story progressed, and as Evey, now free from her societal constraints perfectly illustrated with the loss of her hair and materialism that would have kept her blind to the atrocities, Evey slowly realizes that V is right.
Aside from this visual analysis, Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving were absolutely riveting in their performances. Natalie was absolutely gangbusters, absolutely powerful, and absolutely perfect . Likewise, Hugo Weaving was great, and although he had a disadvantage with the mask, Hugo was able to emote with subtlety that felt kind of cool giving the fact that V is a very overt character. It was a good mix.
10/10