The Thinning

The Thinning

Key cast: Peyton List, Logan Paul and Lia marie Johnson.

Director: Michael J Gallagher 

Writer: Michael J Gallagher

Genre: Thriller

Themes: Post apocalyptic, Friendship, Deceit

Release: October 2016

Key Scene:

A key scene in The Thinning is when Laina manages to find the real test results. The test results decide which students live or die as the test is used to bring down the American population The audience already knows that something strange is going on as Laina is shown to be one of the smartest, but he failed the test. When Laina finds the real results it shows that she got the highest score but was still 'sentenced to death'. This scene is important because it shows that there is more to what is happening and that there is a deeper problem. This makes the audience question the system and also question what they already know about what is happening in the film.

This leads on to the next important scene, which is the end scene. In this scene we see a large group of children, unconscious, getting sent under ground. This is significant because again it makes the audience question everything. The children being sent underground are the children that we saw from the high school who failed the test. The scene that follows shows a factory setting and shows people working, making different product. Then the audience sees a recognisable character. This is important because it contradicts everything the audience knows. These two scenes together are important because the story completely flips and the audience are left confused as to why the things happened in the film happened.

Key Micro-features:

A key micro-feature in the film is Cinematography, specifically lighting. Throughout the majority of the film the lighting flickers on and off. This is important because when the lights go off, the audience cant see anything. This builds the tension and is a common techniques used in thriller films. The lights flickering on and off builds the suspense as the audience cant see everything that is going on, so whilst the lights are off anything could happen. The lighting is significant because it is integrated into the actual story/plot of the film. This is significant because it puts the audience in the same position as the characters in the film because when the audience don't see anything, the characters don't see anything. This means that there is more suspense in the film because anything can happen to the characters in the dark.

Another important micro- feature is mise-en-scene (location). The film is mainly set in a high school where they go into lockdown when the test is being taken. The school is surrounded by wired fences and locked gates. This adds to the tension in the film because the audience realise that they is something obviously wrong and that the fences and locked gates must be there for a reason.