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Introduction
Rubber was filmed in 2010 and directed by Quentin Dupieux, and it is a quasi-horror movie about a tire. The latter is presented as the films main monster or villain, and it is named Robert (Dupieux). The narrative is unique because it introduces two storylines, which eventually merge at the end. One is about the tire and its victims, while the second group is comprised of the viewers using binoculars to watch the film (Dupieux). However, they are not completely disconnected because sheriff Chad engages with both groups (Dupieux). Rubber engages with the horror genre by combining traditional elements, such as the monster and the gore, with a novel narrative structure conveying the lack of safety in the audience. On the one hand, it tries to convince the audience and even the characters that it is fiction. On the other hand, the tire is able to attack and kill them, erasing all boundaries of safety. The film is attempting to convince viewers that they are not fully safe or detached from the storyline and Robert by putting their representation in the film itself, which is achieved through the monster, eyes, and gore.
The Rubber Film Analysis
Firstly, Rubber retains a traditional horror element at its core, which is the monster in the form of a rather the simplest object as a tire but expands its threat outside the main storyline. In other words, normality and order are threatened by both the characters and the viewers. A narrative example includes two scenes from the movie, where the group of viewers dies from food poisoning, and the remaining viewer with a disability is killed by Robert (Dupieux). It is stated that it is necessary to offer a simple and obvious basic formula for the horror film: normality is threatened by the monster (Wood et al. 83). Therefore, not only does Robert endangers the normality of his victims, but it interacts with the audiences representation in the film itself.
Secondly, Rubber as a whole directly reinvents how morality works by focusing on the eyes and showing the latter as explicitly as possible in the film. For example, during a crow scene, a unique camera angle is used to put the victim in the eye of both the monster and the group of viewers (Dupieux). Throughout the film, the camera focus changes during scenes to emphasize and accentuate the attention of a particular person or object. It is used to give a sense that the viewer is also using a binocular device to observe the actions, which improves the translation of horror to the core audience as well. It is stated that horror privileges the eye because, more crucially than any other kind of cinema, it is about eyes & it is about eye watching horror (Clover 167). In other words, horror is invoked and communicated through humans visual perception, which operates through a focus on specific objects, whereas other elements are blurred. The cinematic device of camera focus appeals to the eyes since it indirectly guides a viewers attention without cutting out other important elements.
Thirdly, the film actively uses gore to invoke a visceral response of horror from a rather unthreatening object, which shows how Rubber is able to impose a sense of danger to the monster. For example, during Chads questioning scene near the pool, a person being questioned becomes the victim of Robert, where his head explodes in a gruesome manner (Dupieux). It is stated that slasher and gore horror films lodged themselves into the cultural unconscious, where they continue to exert their influence over the horror genre while being regularly reinvented (Benshoff 310). Thus, it is evident that Rubber is targeting the audience with two extremes of the horror genre, where one aspect is the absurdity of the threat, and the other is the inherent visual danger from the monster. It is a challenge to make an object, such as a tire, threatening and scary, but if one attaches gore, violence, and sinister intent to its actions, the monster can become convincing.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Rubber is a film that tries to be as threatening as possible by being a deceiver on itself, and it uses gore, the monster, and eyes. It convinces the viewers that it is nothing but absurdity while expanding its danger to the main audience. Both the gore and monster are powerful traditional tools of the horror genre, which are effective at conveying fear. However, the narrative and the eyes put in the film by a group of viewers wants to stir the audience from perceiving the film as a horror. This conflict is likely used to make the film deceptive for people watching it because the monster is constantly advancing toward them. It begins its hostility by attacking the beer bottle, then killing animals, then proceeds by targeting human characters. However, it does not stop since it also kills a viewer with a disability as well. Therefore, the film should be understood as an experiment where it is made to put a direct representation of the main audience in the storyline without making them detached from the monster.
Works Cited
Benshoff, Harry M. Companion to the Horror Film. John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chain Saws. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Dupieux, Quentin, director. Rubber. Realitism Films, 2010.
Wood, Robin, et al. Robin Wood on the Horror Film. Wayne State University Press, 2018.
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