What Stood out in "Suture"

 

Kaja Silverman “Suture”

One of the most fascinating aspects of Kaja Silverman’s “Suture” is the way film can utilize the eye of the camera to unconsciously draw the viewer’s attention to a particular object.  In the first scene the camera, as described by Silverman, “moves backward to reveal a corner of the bed not previously exposed, on which lies the envelope of stolen money“. Later on in the scene, the camera pans out to once again reveal the packet of money. Even in subtle moments where Marion is fixing her hair in front of the vanity table, the stolen money is revealed in a reverse shot. Finally, Marion sits to gather the money into her purse. In one scene, cuts to the stolen money occurred a multitude of times. This established the future importance the money would have to the plot and Marion’s character arc without the use of words. To me, this is a representation of the concept “show, don’t tell”. If Marion was constantly looking at the money throughout the scene or actively mentioned the money to Sam, the glimpse into the future of the film would come across as heavily obvious and overly hinted. However, subtle shots to the envelope allow for only those paying close attention to note the significance of the object repeatedly shown.