What is a motif in a movie?
Lets have a look in motif with examples
A motif in film refers to a recurring visual or thematic element that is used to enhance the narrative or underlying meaning of a film. Examples of motifs in film include the use of certain colors, imagery, or symbols to represent specific ideas or themes. Motifs can also include recurring characters, settings, or actions that are used to convey a specific meaning or message throughout the film.
When it comes to movie-making, there are numerous basic underlying concepts that viewers just might overlook or consider to be just a random accessory. But these underlying motifs or accessories are more than just a random choice. This concept would be difficult to explain or understand without an example.
For this, we shall take the example of the 2018 Bollywood movie; Andhadhun. Saying that this movie was one of the best comedies, crime, drama movies would be actual in all its existence. So, let’s begin.
Starting off with an easy one. It wasn’t difficult to notice that the rabbit shown in the clip above is visually impaired. Still, it manages to escape from the farmer’s grasp. The sound at the end of the clip makes us believe that the rabbit might have been run over by a car, but it is only at the end that we realize the rabbit escaped. Now you might wonder, what was the need of creating so much tension then. The answer is simple, the rabbit’s condition is quite comparable to our protagonist of the film. It seems as if all hope is lost, and he is just an inch close to heaven. But he escapes, always, just like the rabbit.
Now let’s refer to the picture above. Notice the cat. Now you might think the cat was just a random choice of animal. Remember one thing, nothing is randomly chosen while movie-making. Each element holds its credibility. We all know the simile,” As stealth as a tiger.” The cat family is known for this trait. The use of the cat might have been to compare its silent steps to that of our protagonist. How stealthily he tries to get out of the situation in the first place.
Well, you can also notice the wine glass at the corner. This wine glass is associated with a scene in the movie that most of us would have pretty much overlooked.
Remember this scene? Well, look closely at the picture. Notice the wine glasses at the window sill. Now replay the scene. Well, our protagonist pretty much passed out from the drug given to him rather than the alcohol, right? Then how come are there two wine glasses at the window sill? Does this imply the presence of someone else to at the scene? Most probably our antagonist’s love affair, the policeman? Or our antagonist was such a perfectionist to keep two wine glasses to convince the heroine that her love affair was involved with her. We are pretty sure that that would be something a lover would be least concerned bout in such a situation.
Now you might get a more apparent answer to what is a motif and why is it used? Most of the time, the selection of an accessory that you might consider unimportant in a movie is a motif used to describe an underlying plot or give a hint of the next twist. Finding motifs in a film is one of the most exciting things that filmmakers and viewers enjoy. Therefore, remember the above-mentioned concept the next time you need to add an accessory to a movie.
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