The Contrasting Use of Formalism and Realism in Jonathan Glazer's 'Under the Skin'

Essay from the year 2015 in the subject Communications - Movies and Television, grade: 80, University of Greenwich, course: Film Studies, language: English, abstract: Jonathan Glazer presents an explicit mix of formalism and realism in 'Under the Skin'. The contrasting techniques are used to present the films themes of the female body and its power and vulnerability in society. The use of realism effectively portrays the world we live in, whilst formalism is able to successfully convey the alien aspect of the film, showing the protagonist's actions to be very much other-worldy. I look at various criticisms of formalism and realism in film and how they can be applied to 'Under the Skin'.