Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger than Fiction is a film that utilizes very interesting techniques in order to tell its narrative. The narrative is told with a narrator, who also happens to be a character in the film. This creates a very unique irony to the action that unfolds. 

More importantly there is a lot of depth in mise-en-scene and the way the sequences are shot. Most of the film is shot on location in Chicago. This really helps to make a fiction narrative seem very realistic, the modern quality of the setting allows the audience to believe the unbelievable is happening in our real world.  There are many unique shots of single characters and their realizations. Harold Crick, the main character, throughout the film shifts his attitudes about life, and this is evident through the camera shots. At the beginning Harold is always perfectly in frame and in very straightforward shots. As the film progresses and he is deeply affected by love the shots become more intimate, there are many close-ups focusing on Harold's true emotions. Another main character, Karen Eiffel, fills the frame frequently with close-ups of her realizations and emotions. I feel this is a very conscious and deliberate choice. Harold Crick becomes more real as the story unfolds and this is evident through his change in costume. Towards the end he begins to wear sweaters, not ties, and begins to love music, not numbers. Karen Eiffel also has a character shift noted by her change in appearance and costume. In one of the last scenes of the film when she decides to allow her character life, instead of tragic death, she is seen wearing full color for the first time and her face looks less androgynous and more feminine. 

Many of the subtle shifts in the mise-en-scene link closely to character shifts. This tool is apparent in many films, yet I feel Stranger than Fiction uses the tool in a very appealing fashion.