PERCEPTION
EQUILIBRIUM
CREDITS
ARCH 443 - tyler bowa
Equilibrium is an incredible example of how the eyes can be used to remove ALL emotion from movies and film.
In a world where being physically human means simply existing, and there is no tolerance for personal thought
or emotion, focusing on ‘empty’ eyes is a great method to achieve an emotionless feeling.
When first watching the film, our attention is immediately drawn to the matching uniforms that all residences of
Libria are wearing. There is no sense of individuality or presence of feeling in this world. What really hits this
idea home are the continuous shots of the characters eyes; they all appear to be glazed over in an invisible
layer of madness.
The director, Wimmer, makes sure to use proper lighting techniques combined with a heavy amount of liquid
eye-drops to maintain the ‘empty’ feeling in the film. As a viewer, when I stare into the eyes of Cleric Preston, I
feel absolutely nothing. There is no connection like that of the Dark Knight, but instead a white canvas that
lacks all human qualities. Wimmer uses specific diffused lighting on the characters faces so that there is
absolutely no pupil dilation, reflection, or concentration found in the eyes. This technique is a great way to add
madness to any film because with a lack of humanist eye movement comes ambiguity and a lack of emotion.
In a world where being physically human means simply existing, and there is no tolerance for personal thought
or emotion, focusing on ‘empty’ eyes is a great method to achieve an emotionless feeling.
When first watching the film, our attention is immediately drawn to the matching uniforms that all residences of
Libria are wearing. There is no sense of individuality or presence of feeling in this world. What really hits this
idea home are the continuous shots of the characters eyes; they all appear to be glazed over in an invisible
layer of madness.
The director, Wimmer, makes sure to use proper lighting techniques combined with a heavy amount of liquid
eye-drops to maintain the ‘empty’ feeling in the film. As a viewer, when I stare into the eyes of Cleric Preston, I
feel absolutely nothing. There is no connection like that of the Dark Knight, but instead a white canvas that
lacks all human qualities. Wimmer uses specific diffused lighting on the characters faces so that there is
absolutely no pupil dilation, reflection, or concentration found in the eyes. This technique is a great way to add
madness to any film because with a lack of humanist eye movement comes ambiguity and a lack of emotion.