Textual Analysis: Thirteen

For my second textual analysis I watched episode one of the single series ‘Thirteen’. First broadcasted on February  28^TH 2016 , is still available on BBC IPlayer two years on. A brief tagline, ‘Today is the day Ivy Moxam escapes from the cellar – her prison for the last 13 years. Today is the day she will return to her home, to her life. Today is only the beginning.’, gives a brief description of what is to come whilst introducing the main character and plot. Ivy Moxam, played by Jodie Comer, is a 26-year-old woman who was the victim of a kidnapping when she was 13. Locked away in a cellar for 13 years, she returns to her family home after escaping her attackers prison. The first episode introduces an endless struggle to return to the old and escape the last 13 years and the pain that had been inflicted.

A huge topic within the series, which is carefully introduced in episode one is the theme of secrets. Ivy possesses a need to protect her attacker, giving brief descriptions and purposely excluding and manipulating information to favour her abductor. Her intentions are made clear as she constantly craves to “go home now” and restart her life with her family, forgetting the last 13 years. Ivy’s intentions and feelings towards her attacker are left unknown at the end of this episode, but the relationship between them is confusing, there is a lack of hatred towards him from Ivy, but there is a fear. This enigma created helps entice the audience s the question what is the true motive behind Ivy Moxam.

I really enjoyed the desire to return to the past. a sense of nostalgia runs through the episode, wanting to go back and continue life as if nothing has happened. Ivy’s mother, played by Natasha Little, resembles Ivy’s desire also. Both characters wish to forget and avoid what has been Ivy’s life for 13 years and move on, continuing family life like Ivy has always been there. This builds up, intriguing me as I want to see how their avoidance to the mental impacts will react by this forcing of forgetting.  

The episode itself starts with an opening sequence panning across a neighbourhood’s rooftops, the sounds of birds tweeting can be heard creating a euphoric atmosphere. As the camera panning lowers, suspense orchestral music gradually appears, increasing in sound until the pan ends focussing on a red door. The camera stays focussed on this door for a few seconds before a girl is seen creeping out, her face hidden from the shot, emphasising that she may be hiding from something, or someone. The camera is held in a documentary styled way, following the unknown girl (at this time) out of the door so we the audience can witness her point of view.

This over the shoulder shot shows the character in context to her location and establishes her special relations, the shallow focus draws attention to Ivy whilst her location is still visible. This is used to recreate a moment of fear where your surrounding turn to a blur. Following this, an extreme close-up of her dirty feet shows her dirt filled nails, with a crunch heard as she steps on a leaf. This further implies the sense of running away, but also the use of dirt and mud shows her  inability to take care of herself.

A key moment for me was just before Ivy’s first interview at the police station, the higher positioned officer makes a small comment to the detectives assigned to this case, stating “there’s never been a case of an escaped captive in the UK”. This captivated me as it suggests there is a uniqueness to this girl and this case, and I started to wonder what makes this so special, and different.  

In this extreme long shot (ELS), Ivy is shown to be alone and isolated, in an unknown environment where her discomfort is emphasised greatly. An atmosphere of displacement has been created in this shot, she looks small and almost insignificant but stands out from her surrounding objects. The reverse zoom helps exemplify   her position against the world.

I noticed throughout this episode, eye-level medium and medium close-up shots were used the most. I expected Ivy to be shown using high angle shots to position her as weak and vulnerable, but this technique lacks in Thirteen.

Overall I really liked this series, and think that it will heavily inspire my own project. I have had in my head to film something of a young girl going missing, with her mother as they key initiator of her whereabouts and finding her. The character Christina Moxam has inspired to create an almost overly emotional mother who believe that to ignore the bad and force the good which could either be why her daughter runs away, or how she reacts when her daughter is back.