when u lowkey just research da films
ok i guess i do research
Let's talk about the two texts that basically created the blueprint for what we're trying to do.
Fleabag (2016-2019) — Phoebe Waller-Bridge
wow shes even looking into the camera here wowwww
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag is still considered by many to be one of the best comedy shows of all time. There are many reasons why the series is so genius. But the factor that allows Fleabag to rise above all other comedy series is the titular character's frequent breaking of the fourth wall.
Fleabag is very aware of the audience watching, and she almost continuously breaks that fourth wall, looking into the camera and making eye contact, pulling weird faces only for the viewer to see, and talking directly to the viewer, which allows her to "confess" her very personal thoughts only to them. Not only does this lead to the development of a very intimate and personal relationship with the audience, but it also shows an awareness of the audience or, to go even further, a preference for the audience. Fleabag consciously decides to share her raw internal monologues and her sarcastic commentary with us, instead of with the other characters.
But there's more to it than just looking at the camera: it is precisely during these seemingly intimate and revelatory fourth wall breaks that Fleabag is at her most performative. She's not just confiding in us, she's performing for us. The camera is both her most honest relationship and another way to run from herself.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) — Directed by John Hughes
An American classic. A teenager fakes being sick, skips school, takes a Ferrari through Chicago, and spends the entire movie talking directly at you about it. The film stars Matthew Broderick as the slick-talking Ferris, a charismatic high school slacker who lives in Chicago and skips school with his best friend Cameron and his girlfriend Sloane for a day, regularly breaking the fourth wall to explain his techniques and inner thoughts.
What's brilliant about Ferris is what the fourth wall break is actually for. The majority of Ferris's monologues are about his tormented best friend Cameron, and they supply insights into Cameron's character that we wouldn't be able to get otherwise. Ferris is essentially our guide into someone else's story. Ferris is honest with the audience. When he speaks to us, he speaks the truth. The same can't be said for the other characters in the movie. Ferris may lie, cheat, and steal his way through his day off, but he always seems to keep it real with us. How thoughtful awwwww.
Through his direct addresses, Ferris is portrayed as a self-aware character, always one step ahead of the adults trying to catch him. This storytelling device simultaneously amplifies the humor and deepens our understanding of Ferris as a character. The audience becomes his accomplice, and we are in on every joke.
Both texts show that a fourth wall break is only as good as the reason behind it. Fleabag uses it to survive grief. Ferris uses it to make us accomplices in joy. Either way, the camera look has to actually mean something. That's what we're after.
Works cited
Bramesco, Charles. "How Fleabag's Fourth Wall Breaks Became the Show's Emotional Core." The Guardian, 18 June 2019, www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/18/fleabag-fourth-wall-phoebe-waller-bridge.
Hughes, John, director. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Paramount Pictures, 1986.
Petski, Denise. "Why Ferris Bueller's Fourth Wall Breaks Work So Well." ScreenRant, 12 Mar. 2021, screenrant.com/ferris-bueller-fourth-wall-breaks-analysis.
Waller-Bridge, Phoebe, creator. Fleabag. Two Brothers Pictures, 2016–2019.
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