The Unborn (2009)

Characters

-          Casey

-          Rabbi Joseph Sendak

-          Mark – Casey’s boyfriend

-          Romy – Casey’s friend

-          Sofi – Casey’s grandmother

-          Matty – possessed child

-          Barto – Sofi’s twin brother; haunting child (died in Auschwitz)

Narrative

Equilibrium: Casey is an only child, babysitting her neighbour’s children

Disruption: she begins having hallucinations and the child she’s babysitting behaves strangely

Recognition of disruption: Casey discovers she was a twin, but her brother died in the womb. Believes the child with bright blue eyes is her brother trying to come into her world.

Attempt to repair disruption: Casey tries to keep the child away from her. When he begins killing people she loves, she, her boyfriend and Rabbi Joseph Sendak perform a séance.

Reinstatement of equilibrium: the child is gone and Casey tries to live her life without her best friend and her boyfriend.

Disruption: Casey discovers she’s pregnant with twins. The film ends with a close up of Matty saying “Jumby wants to be born now”.

Settings

-          Misty road – mysterious and lonely

-          Casey’s home

-          Romy’s home

-          Casey and friend Romy on phone to each other – at night while Casey babysits

-          Hospital where Casey’s mother died, abandond and wrecked

-          Night club

-          Cockroaches and blood begin falling out of the bathroom walls at the night club, music is loud and dramatic (non-diegetic)

-          Casey’s dead mother floats out of cubicle, in hospital gown, holding out hand whispering Casey’s name
-          Snowing; cold like the dead

-          Raining; makes it more intense

Sound

-          Slow, eerie music

-          Music becomes loud and dramatic when the haunting child appears inside mirror

-          Scary, dramatic music

-          Voice over of Sofi reading the letter she wrote to Casey

-          The dramatic music and screaming suddenly stops, straight cuts to Matty say “Jumby wants to be born now” and all the music and screaming begins again

-          Casey’s nightmares – sound is muffled, screaming; hard to hear, no one can save her because they can’t hear her

Camera movement

-          Film begins with crane shot over lake

-          Crane over city – sense of place

-          Zoom in slowly, music builds – mirror is moving

-          Old film reel of empty hospital, creepy music: tracking – building tension

-          Crane over house – as if being watched

-          Panning Joseph walking down the stairs – building tension

Camera shots

-          Close up of a glove on the road

-          Turns around, long shot of child watching her (Barto)

-          High angle shot of Casey looking up the stairs – unsure of what’s there

-          Close up of Casey’s eye - it’s changed colour

-          Bird’s eye view of city

-          Close up of picture – Casey’s mother, pregnant; see haunting child in reflection of mirror

-          Point of view shot – Casey sees Sofi wearing a red bracelet like Casey’s mother

-          Close up of Casey in night club, headache

-          Long shot of the hospital Sofi is in – set the scene

-          Long shot and slow motion of Casey walking – thinking, pieces are coming together

-          Close up of dog with upside down head – audience now know what it is

-          Bird’s eye view shot of Casey strapped to a gurney with people in a circle around her (séance)

-          Low angle shots and mid shots of séance – like they’re being watched

-          Close up of cockroach and Casey gasps – audience knows Barto is there

-          Close ups of people becoming possessed – their eyes change

Editing

-          Jump cuts of Casey jogging

-          Home video of Casey as a child on holiday with parents – before mother’s suicide (caused by haunting child)

-          Sight becomes distorted in night club

-          Fade in and out in memories; makes difference between memory and reality

-          Straight cuts of Casey destroying mirrors – emphasises the extent she’s going to

-          Blue tint, connote Barto’s eyes Casey’s eyes turn blue like Barto’s

-          Straight cuts to show Sofi writing letter – she was prepared for her death

-          Straight cuts to different angles of Joseph in the synagogue – being watched

-          Barto appears behind Sofi, straight cut to empty hospital corridor, hear her scream

-          Slow motion; possessed priest punches Mark – show he’s not himself anymore

-          Straight cuts between scenarios that suggests Casey’s pregnant, scan in hospital – pregnant with twins

Lighting

-          Low lighting – creepy and claustrophobic

-          High key lighting in day – looks natural, nothing bad happens in the day (not scary)

-          Torch beneath Sofi’s face, creates shadows on her face – creepy

-          Low lighting – hard to see, don’t know what’s there

Props

-          Mirrors – people fear seeing things in reflection

-          Wind chimes

-          Glove: Casey walks over and stops in front of glove; interests her, see Barto at the start with one glove on

Costume

-          Casey wears a lot of white at the start of the film

-          White t-shirt and jeans - casual

-          White top and jeans in club

-          Her clothes become darker towards the end

-          Shows she is becoming scared, sad

-          Casey’s eyes become more and more blue – Barto’s blue eyes

Movement and gesture

-          Child she’s babysitting (Matty) says “Jumby wants to be born now” – creepy

-          Patient crawls up stairs, head turned upside down and chases Sofi

-          While Matty is possessed, he stabs Romy