Film Analysis: Fists in the Pocket - Essay Example

Ale has this morbid desire to eliminate his family to lessen the burden on his eldest brother. His initial attempt at driving the car through a cliff failed. However, he succeeded at carrying out his plan by pushing his mother off a cliff, then drowning his youngest brother in the tub. There is a hint of him having an incestuous relation with his sister Giulia, but despite this situation, Ale still wanted to kill his sister. Eventually, Ale undergoes a seizure where he calls out for Giulia for help, but she does not assist him due to self-preservation motives, so Ale dies choking while an aria plays in the background.

The cinematography is presented in black-and-white, giving the plot a kind of classic noir experience especially with the existence of a disillusioned protagonist and his femme fatale, although the absence of the gory killings would make you negate this initial notion. The film has a disturbing quality because of the protagonist’s actuations and the eccentric storyline which is very unpredictable and uncommon. As Hal Astell points out, he does not know what writer / director Bellocchio intended this to be “a horror film, a psychological drama, a social commentary, a piece of symbolism” (Astell) since it seems like a combination of all these.

The film’s protagonist, Alessandro is a madman and a rebel at the same time. Alessandro is a madman because he is a son and a brother in his family, yet he didn’t feel any remorse in planning and orchestrating the death of his mother and brother. A family is the basic social unit into which an individual is born, and it is also in this institution that a person learns the meaning of love, affection and devotion, that is, if he/she were shown these emotions from the outset. Normal people would feel love and compassion for their loved ones, especially when they lose them.

Gauging from the way that his other siblings loved each member of the family, Alessandro’s attitude is very different and his mind worked in a distinctive and perverse manner. He knows it was his mother who reared him and cared for him as a child, yet he didn’t have any qualms when he pushed his Mama to fall from the cliff. Ale was even giggling and seemingly enjoyed himself during his Mama’s wake. Likewise, Alessandro grew up knowing his younger brother Leone, yet he didn’t seem to care for him, and instead he was the one who drowned his brother in the tub, even if he knew that he’d already overdosed him with his medications.

Add to this Ale’s intention of killing his sister Giulia even if he said that he loved her and they had this incestuous relation. Only a madman’s mind would operate in this manner. Alessandro can also be considered a rebel because he refused to conform to anyone’s set norms and expectations. Even if Augusto reprimanded Ale for having no ambition, Ale did not do anything to abide by his older brother’s request for him to find a decent job so he can earn his own keep. He just did what he wanted to do.

Another incident which shows Ale’s rebel streak is his act of trying to get a driver’s license, even if he is an epileptic and should not be driving vehicles. This situation is stretched even more when Ale lies to Augusto saying that he passed the driving test and has been approved to drive. He volunteers to drive his family to the cemetery then writes to