4 seniors who are existentially questioning their existence make a film. Oh well.
So we're making a dark comedy that breaks the fourth wall.
I think of dark comedy as a genre that lives in this little pocket where nothing is okay, and everything is hilarious because of it.
The defining characteristics of a dark comedy include: a look at taboo subject matter, humor derived from pain or discomfort, and characters who are aware, on some level, that they're trapped.
That last one matters a lot to us because breaking the fourth wall means the character knows they're trapped. In a movie. Which they can never escape. Which is bleak, honestly. Interesting...
Fourth-wall breaks specifically work because they shatter the parasocial contract between the character and the viewer. The character isn't supposed to know you exist. When they do, suddenly the audience's expectations are shattered. The audience becomes an active participant in the film they're watching.
As for dark comedy as a genre, the defining move is using humor not to escape darkness, but rather to walk directly into it. Taika Waititi, a director who has mastered the approach, has described his style as writing "really uncomfortable moments of drama that make you so uncomfortable you want to laugh", specifically distinguishing this from comedy writing, which he says he's not attracted to at all. Put simply, the best dark comedies aren't written by people trying to be funny. They're written by people trying to be honest with the audience and themselves.
Waititi himself said it best when defending the genre: "The world needs ridiculous films, because the world is ridiculous." Thanks for da insight, Mr. Waititti. Actually, wait, I take that back, I did not like Thor. Do better, Mr. Waititti
The combo of dark comedy + fourth wall breaks is particularly interesting for us in the best way. You're laughing, and then you feel bad for laughing, and then the character looks at you like they know you feel bad, and then you're in an existential spiral at 2 PM on a Tuesday. Banger scenario, I might add.
This research will genuinely help us understand WHY the genre works, not just what it looks like. We will also try to make the 4th wall-breaking feel intentional and not just gimmicky. The character's awareness of their situation is the darkness, and it's wholly enveloping.
More research coming up
I have STN this week
I am exhausted
yet
Works Cited
Brew, Simon. "Jojo Rabbit: Taika Waititi interview." Den of Geek, 18 Oct. 2019, www.denofgeek.com/movies/jojo-rabbit-taika-waititi-interview.
Plunkett, Suzanne. "What Is the Fourth Wall, and Why Do Characters Break It?" MasterClass, 7 June 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/fourth-wall-explained.
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