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Slap

 Slap (2015) is a drama that focuses on performance, visual motifs and cinematography to convey the important themes and messages surrounding gender and identity. 

It follows the three act structure with the beginning showing us the characters and settings, and then in the middle the drama begins when the fight happens and he first shows his identity to someone and then the end being when he decides to go to the party.



Throughout the film there is a visual motif of mirrors, as we often see Connors reflection possibly symbolising the conflicting identities within him. We also see this through the use of shadows, symbolising two possible selfs. 

Throughout the film we see a northern industrial setting indicating that he would not be accepted as his true self due to cultural stereotypes. The film is mostly grey, contrasting to the colourful makeup he puts on. The different settings are also very masculine such as his bedroom and the boxing gym, contrasting to how he feels. In the more dramatic moments such as the ending the camera switches to a hand held camera and becomes a lot more shaky, feeling more chaotic, emphasising the dramatic events. 


we also see the use of hands throughout the film for example grabbing people and touching people's faces. 


The confrontation with Lola is well written as it allows you to see both sides of the argument and sympathise with both of them. Lola repeatedly asks if the lipstick was hers, showing how she is not able to fully process everything. Performance is also very important in this film as we see most of the drama in how Conner is feeling throughout and then in the end how it effects the other characters and their emotions. 

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