Term for a movie that tells a lot through its backdrop?

Question

I'm writing a paper about a movie that exerts a lot of social and cultural criticism through its backdrop - things like posters, graffiti, murals and so on. They are not central to the story at all (it's a love story), but they kind of tell a story in themselves and become very relevant when interpreting the film.Is there a term for this kind of film?

Answer 1

Hi there!

There's something to be said about the environments in film, as someone's entire job is to tell a story through the background, location, set dressing, props, and more! The word that comes to mind is actually french, called mise en scene, which basically boils down to everything that you see within the film. The lights, props, costumes, actors, staging, and location, etc., are all intentionally crafted together to invoke a feeling or response from the viewer. it also lends itself to the idea that nothing is ever an accident in film, that it's very intentional that even though the film you're discussing is a romance, there are deeper elements that may have come into play for the creative team (ie, the posters you mentioned). Perhaps there's a political element that changes the way the characters act, or socioeconomic status that subconsciously affects their actions/beliefs, but that goes to say, everything happens for a reason in the film!

I hope that helps!