Mis-En Scene Blog Analysis

Silver Linings Playbook- Mis-En Scene Analysis

The movie opens with a scene with back light where the main character, Pat, is facing backwards and looking outside a window, this can indicate that he wants to get out of the mental facility, he is looking for a brighter future, does not want to face reality and is avoiding a problem that he has. This inner problem can be represented by his clothing, he wears the color blue which can be associated with sadness and negativity. In this shot we can notice that the lightning behind him is low-key which can lead us to think that he is trying to leave behind a past which may have unpleasant experiences in it. As we watch the scene, the camera zooms in on Pat, we can infer from this that the audience is about to get to know the character more in depth very soon.

As we move through a few scenes we can notice that the color palette went from warm colors to more cold ones (blue, gray, green) like in the therapy room scene. During this scene, the audience can observe a shot reverse shot and some over-the-shoulder shots.This scene takes place after Pat suffers from an anger attack. We can notice that he is still agitated from this event because of the movement of the camera, which constantly moves, imitating Pat's heavy breath. We learn through flashbacks that Pat's wife cheated on him. While he narrates this event, there is a close up shot of him that intends to show us his emotions. Then the camera focuses on his hands for a few seconds, he is sweating, slightly shaking and playing with his hands nervously, the director with this shot intends to show the audience that Patrick is still affected by those events and that he actually needs the therapy and medication. 

Later on, in the scene where Pat is having dinner with his friends, we are introduced to Tiffany for the first time. She is wearing the same color that she will wear until the last scenes of the movie, which is the color black. Black clothing, black nails, black necklace and dark make up. This color symbolizes her grief after her husband's death. It can also represent the depression and anger that she feels after that tragic event. She stops wearing black at the end of the film when she learns how to deal with her depression and finds something that makes her happy, in that final scene she wears white, symbolizing a better version of herself.