Parallelism In Fargo

The foils of everyday life make for surprisingly quality entertainment. This concept may appear quite counterintuitive, but it is constantly proven true in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1996 film Fargo. Beyond the film’s oddball subject matter lies a surplus of middle class misfortunes and simpleton fodder. These seemingly extraneous components of the film are actually extremely crucial to the atmosphere the Coen brothers created. Despite having such a lack of regard for human life, the film still is extremely relatable to the common man and blue collar USA. This is exactly what Joel and Ethan Coen were aiming for with this film. They were trying to create as relatable and real of an atmosphere as possible. This persistence to creating a believable

atmosphere is due to the Coen brother’s apparent preference towards realism filmmaking. Realism can be defined as a filmmaking approach that focuses on making a film as believable as possible. This is not to be mistaken with expressionism which eyes in on creating a more exaggerated and unnatural world for the audience. Not only is the Coen brother’s writing coated in realism, but their directing is filled with creative and nuanced techniques that sell this concept even further. In Fargo, the camera work, parallelism, and on point mise en scene creates a proper canvas for the film to impose its poignant effect on the viewer. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in Marge Gunderson’s investigation scene about 33 minutes into the film. This sequence is perhaps one of the most real moments in the entire film, and it is perhaps the best microcosm possible of the entire film. Before we dive into this scene, however, some proper context will be needed.
At this point in the film, we have already gotten quite the cryptic look into the nature of these characters. Jerry Lundegaard, played by William H. Macy, has essentially become so overwhelmed by the copious amount of debt he has accumulated that he devises a scheme where he pays two criminals named Carl and Gaear to kidnap his wife Jean Lundegaard. Jerry does this so he can collect a heavy payment from his father-in law that would satisfy all his debt. The plan is extremely unsettling and quite convoluted, but things become even more complicated when Carl and Gaear kill a state trooper as well as two innocent bystanders. While for the time being Carl and Gaear get away and Jerry is seemingly unharmed, there is an eerie sense of doom for the main characters on the radar. A sense of doom that is immediately confirmed once Marge Gunderson emerges from her evening slumber.
Camera work is crucial in this sequence and it is obvious from the beginning. This scene opens up quite deceptively with a portrait of a goose and a very cluttered collection of art supplies. The mise en scene would suggest that these people are no threat vigor of Carl and Gaear and the clean, meticulous nature of Jerry. Based on the beginning of this shot you would assume the Gunderson’s are two klutzes and to some degree you would be right. But as the shot progresses, it is clear through the camera movements that there is more than meets the eye with the Gundersons; especially Marge. The camera pans to the right through all the havoc and disorganization and begins to zoom in on Marge Gunderson. This camera shot was used to emphasize her importance in the film. Listening in on her phone call, we begin to see why Marge Gunderson may be so detrimental to this film despite her flawed way of living. Called in the early hours of the morning, Marge Gunderson comes in to work to investigate these killings no questions asked. This is the audiences first glance of her undeniable drive and persistence. Before Marge arrives at work however, her loving husband is adamant about her eating breakfast. This is another exchange that leads to a very outside the box, but real camera approach. As Marge parts ways with her husband, the camera man/dolly slowly backs up and just keeps filming. While at first this kind of seems pointless, it offers some comic relief to the audience. The stillness of the scene makes every action stick out so much more. The shot emphasizes both the kitchen and the door, so you know something is looming. When we figure out the wait was just for a battery failure in the car, the dramatic and elongated nature of the scene seems pretty comical. On top of this, seeing Norm Gunderson take Marge’s plate after she left may suggest he was more interested in the breakfast than she was. This humor is very minuscule but it works and quite possibly only because the camera work set it up so well. Throughout the rest of the sequence, camera movements continue to play a key role. While investigating the scene of the crime, rather than focusing on high angle or low angle shots, the cameraman simply follows Marge and Lou and is mostly at eye level with them. This enhances the natural feeling of the scene and makes it seem like you are just a bystander tagging along for the ride. While we’re still on the topic of camera shots and movements, I also would like to highlight the types of shots used in this sequence. The generic shot that is used in this sequence is a medium shot. A medium shot is pretty typical in naturalistic films such as this. The characters are displayed slightly above the waist up. This emphasis on the upper body rightly makes the conversations seem more real especially when it comes to eye contact. On top of these medium shots, there is an establishment shot right before the investigation starts. This scene shows the road and a police car zooming by. This shot is used to establish where the action is going to take place. Establishment shots are also favored in realism films. These might seem like very minor observations, but the details and nuances that are put into the camera work are key to not just making this sequence work, but the entire film. Without it, emphasis is not felt, information is lost, and jokes do not land.
The film’s use of form also plays to the naturalistic tendencies of this film.

Most notably the film uses parallelism quite a bit. The characters that are deemed evil often have a more aggressive or even organized demeanor than those who are good. In this sequence we do not really encounter any evil characters, but the good characters all are easily comparable. Norm and Marge Gunderson are pretty in-sync as characters. We can see this through their talk most notably. The distinct way people talk in the film actually can link most of the characters together. But unlike Jerry, Marge and Norm use their dim witted small talk for innocent purposes rather than manipulation. Even in their silence, Marge and Norm just seem so at peace with each other. When a character like Jerry is silent in this film it is usually to pressure or uneasiness as highlighted when Marge confronts Jerry later in the film. Regardless, it is clear despite Norm’s sloppier way of life, Marge clearly matches well with him due to their calm and easy going demeanors. The same thing can be said about her coworker Lou. The constant use of the phrase “Oh yea” is a motif that is used between the two characters. It is very stupid, but when dealing with the murders of three people it actually is a pretty funny contrast. Anyways, this fodder is another form of parallelism because clearly Lou is just like Marge in her easy breezy way of chatter. The difference between Lou and Norm though is that Lou is a more

indifferent and dullardish person. This is perhaps why Marge makes a snappy retort to Lou in regards to the license plate dilemma in this scene. While they are similar characters, Marge is much more sharp than Lou. The way talking is used to invoke parallelism between these characters is quite a unique technique. This is used throughout the rest of the entire film, but not nearly as effectively as it is used here.
Mise en scene is also used masterfully in this sequence.

As I mentioned earlier, the clutter in the Gunderson’s home does speak volumes about who they are as people. Well very proud and honest people, they are very flawed and blue collar. This clutter is continued on in the kitchen. The shelf behind the kitchen table is filled with pictures and other nick-nacks. This clutter is eerily reminiscent of the middle class household portrayed by the MacGuff’s in the film Juno. These families both are not going to make sure everything in their home is pristine, but their way of life is really not too uncommon. It really does embody a lot of blue collar America. Another good use of mise en scene in this sequence was the very gray and desolate skyline during the murder investigation. Murder obviously is not a light topic, so the dark atmosphere in the sky very much fits into the theme of this scene. The last thing I’d like to mention about mise en scene and staging takes me back to the opening zoom of this sequence. Along with the visual theatrics zoom, the sudden appearance of nondiegetic music also insinuates this is quite an important scene in the film. Once we hear the dramatic strings, we know something dramatic is about to happen, especially because the music is clearly not coming from something on the screen. This nondiegetic sound can be a useful tool to setting a scene and properly utilizing mise en scene and at the end of day, setting the scene is key in a naturalistic

movie. If you cannot set up your scene properly, no one is going to buy your message. Thankfully, the Coen brothers did not suffer a gruesome fate as they clearly did their homework.
Marge Gunderson’s investigation was a crucial sequence in this film because it perfectly put on display everything that makes Fargo such a unique film. The often drawn out and skillfully done camera shots keep the audience on their toes, the parallelism of many of the essential characters in the sequence can’t help but make the audience laugh or feel happy even amidst such a morose investigation, and the use of mise en scene really lets the audience better understand both the characters and the gravity of the situation in the sequence. These minor details that the Coen brothers put in goes a long way to creating a film that not only hits home with the audience, but stands the test of time. As evidence by the newly adapted television show on FX, it is of consensus opinion that this film has held up very well. People simply craved more of the universe they saw in this film and this not by any accident. With this film the Coen brothers created a universe that is so left field, yet so oddly human at the same time. As perplexing as this place sounds, it is quite intoxicating and I cannot wait to indulge in it more once I start watching the TV show.