Human Traffic

 Human Traffic is a classic example of a post modernist film, from the lack of plot to the unrealistic scenery and mis-en-scene, this indie movie definitely ticks the boxes for postmodernism. Firstly the film is very stylised with bright unrealistic colours that really help to translate that 90s vibe. Whether it’s filmed this way from the perspective of the junky drug induced teens or simply for aesthetics, it really helps to convey what the 90s rave culture was all about. Theres a scene in which the workers at a fast food restaurant are literal robots, which is entirely hyper realistic but also metaphorical to reality and how such workers are perceived. We then meet the disgusting sicko manager, covered head to toe in slimy sweat whispering perverted creepy comments into employer Ninas ear. We are made to feel just as Nina does in this situation as the perception and performance of the manager is entirely exaggerated to the extent that the audience can feel equally as uncomfortable as Nina. There’s also a list of iconic movie references from “I decided to take heroine after watching the film Trainspotting” to “Star Wars was all about junkies!” which definitely made the movie a product of its time and kept the audience engaged with tongue-in-cheek contextual humour they could relate to. The soundtrack also cant go unrecognised with popular DJs “Fatboy Slim” and “Aphrodite” and plenty of other icons of British d&b and jungle of the 90s. And finally the bedroom sets are packed full of well known movie and music posters as well as retro toys that can be spotted in the background to give a present viewer a touch of nostalgia.

However i feel that the main postmodern technique lies within the lack of plot and editing. 


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