Introduction

The narrative form of discourse is a common tool employed in films. However, there are non-narrative forms which also are used to construct films, largely dependent on the filmmaker’s intention and the production settings. According to Bordwell, non-narrative forms can be generally classified into four main types - categorical, rhetorical, abstract and associational. Each type is distinct as it draws on different levels of expectation from the audience. This paper attempts to, firstly, give a basic distinction of the four types and secondly, present a case study of the film Grbavica (Jasmila Zbanic’s 2006) to establish the importance of non-narrative forms in the study of cinematic discourse.

Non-narrative forms

The four broad types of non-narrative form can be differentiated based on the way a subject matter is treated. Categorical form generally bases each segment of a film on one category or sub-category associated with the subject matter. The rhetorical form consists of a persuasive argument embedded in the film, which aims to convince the viewer. For the abstract form, the film exploits the similarity of the abstract qualities of the objects compared. Abstract films tend to build up on greater differences from the initial material introduced in according to the underlying principle in the film. On the other hand, associational form evokes a connection which draws upon the qualities and concepts by grouping images, which may not necessarily be of the same category (Bordwell, 1997).

Summary of film Grbavica

Jasmila Zbanic’s 2006 film Grbavica is about Esma, the protagonist, and how she struggles to cope with the trauma of being a victim in the rapes committed during the Yugoslav. She is now a single mother of a teenage daughter (Sara) who starts to question about her father. Esma tries to hide the reality from her daughter as she struggles to recover from the trauma of the past. The film ends on a touching note, with the reunion of both mother and daughter despite having revealed the painful truth of the daughter’s identity.

Rationale for Choice of Film

This film is chosen as a case study analysis as it is distinctive and unusual in the forms of discourse employed. What sets it apart from other films that deal with memory is the way in which Zbanic presents Esma’s trauma. The usual approach to reveal the torment from the past and its influence on the present is to use the flashback, which is generally in the narrative form. However, Zbanic chooses not to depict Esma’s past as a rape victim explicitly, instead the focus is on how she moves on in her daily life with her inner struggles from the past (Gold, 2009). Therefore, in my opinion, the film, with an overall narrative mode of discourse, has included other non-narrative forms for specific purposes which will be explained in the following analysis.


Analysis

The opening sequence of the film begins with showing a colorful handwoven carpet with an abstract pattern, at the place where rape victims received help. As the camera tracks on slowly, it comes across a hand on the carpet, followed by the appearance of uncoordinated sprawling of hands and legs, revealing a large group of women lying and resting together. The shot slowly turns to focus and zooms in on Esma, who is sitting noticeably away from the group. Her lack of physical contact with the rest is suggestive of her struggle in recovering from the trauma of her rape.
 

In the above scene, we see the usage of a non-narrative form of discourse - the association form. At first glance, the appearance of fragmented images like the colorful carpet, hands and legs and women lying intertwined seem to be incongruent. However, at a closer look, there are qualities or concepts from the images grouped together which prompts us to make interpretations and cues us for what is to be expected in the later. 

Firstly, the women’s position of lying intertwine is juxtaposed with the abstract color pattern of the carpet to evoke the idea of unity, suggesting that the group as a whole is better than the individual. This notion is reiterated in the later segments of the film through the use of music expressing the unity of women in Bosnia. Secondly, the image of a hand appearing on the carpet is build up by the following image of the sprawling of hands and legs in the frame. The manner which the hands and legs enter the frame, as if they were disembodied, evokes a sense of trauma which the film revolves around on. The emphasis placed on the human body at the start of the film, allows us to infer an association with the physical, in this case, the physical experience of living with trauma (Gold, 2009).

In another scene of the opening sequence, Esma engages in a pillow fight with her daughter. When Sara manages to pin Esma down using her body weight by sitting on her, the camera moves to a close up of Esma’s face and cuts away Sara’s head from the frame. This position, with Sara representing the violator, is similar to that of a woman being raped. At this moment, Esma’s attitude becomes serious as she pushes Sara off and turns her back towards her daughter. The position of Sara (as an image) draws out a physical memory of Esma’s experience of being violated. Thus, through the use of embodied memory (Culbertson, 1995), we are able to associate Esma’s past with physical sensations.

The use of non-narrative form for the opening sequence, as compared to the use of narrative, is more effective in presenting Esma’s trauma. The association form captures the memories, experiences and trauma by allowing us to question its existence in the present through the connections evoked from the images used (Culbertson, 1995). In my opinion, a narrative account through the use of flashback is bounded by timeline and hence, inadequate to explain the trauma that still lingers on in the present.

In addition, there is also the use of a rhetorical form embedded within the film. Zbanic questions the use of conventional therapies to help the victims recover from their trauma. This can be inferred from the scene, where one of the victims expresses her anger at having to recount her traumatic memories verbally, which indicates the ineffectiveness of the use of speech to deal with trauma as it exist beyond the conscious level. Instead, Zbanic’s argues that art is the most effective therapy. This is established in the last scene, where the use of the lyrics and music help to reconcile both mother and daughter after revealing Sara’s identity, making a convincing case for the argument.

Conclusion

This analysis has shown how both narrative and non-narrative modes of discourse work within the film to present a discourse as intended by the producers. The associational form is used in the opening sequence to represent Esma’s trauma in a more effective way. The rhetorical form is embedded within the film to present the argument that art is a more viable therapy for trauma. Therefore, this analysis of the film Grbavica illustrates the importance of non-narratives forms as they are crucial to our understanding of the film, especially at a deeper level , in the study of cinematic discourse.

References

Bordwell D, Thompson K. Film Art: An Introduction. 5^th ed. McGraw-Hill; 1997

Culbertson, Roberta. “Embodied Memory, Transcendence, and Telling: Recounting Trauma, Re-establishing the Self.” New Literary History 26.1 (1995): 169-195

Gold MA, Embodied Memory and Trauma: Recovering from Rape in Jasmila Zbanic’s “Grbavica”. Student Pulse, LLC , 2009. http://www.studentpulse.com/. Accessed October 26, 2010.