Textual analysis- ‘Mean Creek’

In the 2004 American independent drama film ‘Mean Creek’, director Jacob Aaron Estes uses a variety of mediums to build tension and suspense throughout the film. As a drama film with elements of a thriller, ‘Mean Creek’ uses lots of point of view camera angles and uses the use of silence at times of suspense. The film builds tension right from the start when George is first portrayed as a ‘bully’ when he beats up Sam in the opening scene. From the beginning the audience know that something disastrous is going to happen, whether it is to Sam or George.
One way that Estes creates a sense of tension is through the use of camera angles. The film uses many close up shots of characters to show emotion, which also helps the audience feel sympathy towards them. When George becomes part of the main action in the film (about half way through) his handheld camera is used to show some point of view camera angles. The POV angles help the audience to feel closer to the action; also we get to see what it is like as George falls into the river, again making the audience feel sympathy and a sense of fear. There was a very high angle shot of the group of teenagers standing around George’s body, showing how alone and vulnerable they were. It was similar to when Sam was lying on the ground with other children standing over him, and even though this time, he was the one standing over someone else’s body, it still seemed as if he was completely powerless in the situation due to the high angle shot.
Furthermore, Este creates a sense of fear and suspense through the use of camera movement. Lots of slow camera movement is used throughout the film which helps to create a sense of fear as the audience have longer to think about what is going to happen next. After George’s dead body was dragged to shore, the camera moved slowly from one scene to the next in one continuous movement, rather than flashing quickly from one event to the next like when Rocky was in the water and the rest of the group were rowing to shore. This slow camera movement shows that there is not much action taking place which could suggest that there is nothing more that can be done to bring George back to life. When George uses his handheld camera there is very jolty and jerky movements of the camera which again brings the audience closer to the action and gives a sense of real life.
Additionally, Estes creates a sense of unease through the use of sound and music. When the children/teenagers first come to the conclusion that George is dead there is a very calm atmosphere and sad melancholy music is played. I feel like this music and lack of action gives a lets the tension lower as there is no longer a sense of an unknown conclusion. This tension is replaced by sympathy and sadness. On the other hand, the use of silence in this scene builds tension as the audience is more in the dark about what has happened as no one is talking about it. The lack of sounds makes the reality of George’s death and magnitude of their problems obvious. As the police are digging up George’s body, George voiceovers with a speech that he had said to his camera previously about people not understanding him. This makes the audience feel even more sadness towards his death as they now know that he was just a misunderstood boy who only wanted to fit in and make friends.
Lastly, Estes builds tension through the use of mise-en-scene and the use of titles/credits. In the opening credits/titles an underwater scene is shown which foreshadows the foreseeable events later in the film. These credits give an eerie atmosphere and fear of the unknown. Later on when they are first on the boat there is a relaxed and calm setting which distracts the audience from what is about to happen and makes them think that maybe this boat trip might turn out peaceful. However, the audience may think that the setting is too peaceful and may sense that something bad is destined to happen. Also, the setting on the boat is very isolated meaning that the children are alone and have no access to help if something happens, making them very vulnerable. This gives off a sense of fear to the audience. After George’s death Millie stabs a snail that is next to the word ‘snap!’ that has been engraved into a rock. This shows a release of anger and a reflection of how Millie feels.
In conclusion, Jacob Aaron Estes successfully builds tension and suspense and a sense of fear and unease through the use of many mediums throughout the film ‘Mean Creek’. In my opinion, I believe that Estes was extremely successful in creating a sense of tension especially in the use of silence and the use of POV camera angles from George’s handheld camera.