Expressive movement unit 2

At the center of EMU 2 is a staging of the drama of death. The movement on the level of character constellation—which first evokes closeness and then disperses—is referenced by the dominant musical mourning motif.

A framing with great depth of field locates the characters as separate; this is later resolved in the editing and a change in field size. The spatial juxtaposition of the characters undergoes a transition, created by shots and reverse shots of close ups, to form a unity of changing facial expressions. Two faces (Dane and Ramirez) mark the two poles of this movement. The intimacy of eye contact thus evoked becomes the mode through which the intensity of the worry is staged. At the beginning, the close-ups are brought together by means of a prolonged string melody, the reintroduction of the wind instrument melody from  EMU 1 indicates a change. The musical mourning notes make the following shots seem to already be a staging of the loss connected to Ramirez’ death. This loss is realized concretely on the level of character constellation: while the mea culpa is being recited, there is no more eye contact between the figures in the frame. After Ramirez’ death the mourning melody crystallizes into “Taps.”