Mise-en-scène in Punch Drunk Love
Punch drunk love opens with the protagonist in the corner, huddled over a desk on the telephone. The positioning of the character implies a removal and isolation from the world around him. The strong focus on the colour blue is representative of sadness, isolation and passivity. He is wearing a blue suit in a blue room. Through analogical reasoning we can deduce that he is also blue inside. The framing and handheld camera also brilliantly elucidate a sense of claustrophobia. This is surprisingly vexing as there is so much space within the frame. Paul Thomas Anderson is a compositional magician when it comes to obscuring the expectations of space.
The man in the blue suit moves into total darkness, (utilising an invisible cut) before emerging into the outside world, which is also bathed in a blue hue. This implies that he imagines the world around him to be cold and isolated, much like his inner world.
A taxi cab arrives and delivers a piano, much to the blue mans unrest. He is clearly timid and anxious. The opening sequence utilises mise-en-scène and colour to articulate an evocative emotional numbness with a subtlety and aplomb
4 stars
