alienation as defined by:
2. the state of being an outsider or the feeling of being isolated, as from society
Film : Cube
The film “Cube” employs architectural techniques to create a sense of isolation from society for the characters in this film. The characters in the film each wake up to find themselves trapped in a repeating cube structure, with no knowledge of how they came to this place and how to leave.
The spaces in this film are very confined. The characters are scared and upset by an overwhelming sense of abandonment and hopelessness as they attempt to escape the structure. This sensation is emphasized by the wide angled shots that are employed by the director due to the size constraints of each ‘cube’ that the characters move through. What causes the sense of isolation in the case of The Cube is the endless repetition of identical geometries in the architecture. The containment of the ‘cubes’ seems never ending, it becomes increasingly unlikely through the duration of the film that the characters will never reach civilization, compounded by the fact that the stress of the situation has caused many conflicts between the characters. In addition, the strict geometries of the ‘cube’ spaces is so machine-like; so set apart from normal human spaces of comfort and familiarity, that the character’s isolation from civilization is further emphasized.