The idea of unheimlich is first represented in the opening scene by a dutch tilt (camera is perpendicular to the ground) that positions the dual protagonists lying on a mattress in a vacant lot. Instantaneously, the audience is emerged into a world that is unfamiliar. This idea of uncanny is prevalent throughout the diegesis. Lenny Abrahamson skilfully uses it as a way to parachute viewers into a world that most of us have no experience of. By doing so, we are subjected to a real and unromantic view of the drug underworld in Ireland. Abrahamson illustrates the sense of uncanny by showing Dublin as an unfamiliar space. Although Dublin city can be identified from a number of its iconographic and architectural elements, the urban space is not drawn upon to provide any sense of Irish locality or recognisable backdrop for precise geographical definition (Monahan, 2006). Rather it is used as a narrative structuring device, containing the random addiction-motivated rambling of the protagonists as they move from one encounter to another in search of their next ‘score’ (Monahan, 2006). Adam and Paul`s aimless journey around Dublin projects the idea of unheimlich throughout this film.
In the opening shot, a perception of these character` futile existence is established. Within moments, we realise that Adam has been glued to the mattress but how it happened is never conveyed. It is through this sequence of ambiguous moments that Abrahamson signifies a disconnection between the audience and protagonists as well as demonstrating their social displacement. This idea is manifested in the dislocated furniture we see throughout the narrative. Internal objects displaced across the landscape have been externalised to reveal a sense of uncanny and demonstrate that the public and private has been dislocated. Subsequently, this is relatable to Adam and Paul: they aren’t accepted anywhere internally, except for Janine`s flat. We see examples of their inept social ability at particular moments in the fabula.
One incident that I will refer to occurs in the cafe when Paul causes a feeble distraction by ordering tea and toast as Adam attempts to steal a handbag. Due to their lack of tact, their actions are discovered and they are subsequently thrown out. Following this, we see Paul being kicked out of a shop for “feeling bread”. Their pathetic excuses signify their incompetency at evolving in society and as a result they are pushed further into the shadows. In this character driven film, Adam and Paul react to situations that transpire rather than interacting with the world around them. An example of this takes place when two bags of heroin fall from an apartment block that Adam and Paul are sitting in front of. From their point of view, it is a fortuitous circumstance which they once again react to.
The internal focalisation that we perceive while they are intoxicated is not necessarily reliable. Although the camera offers images of neon lights and a half eaten apple; it is ambiguous whose thoughts we are observing. This happens again earlier in the film when Adam and Paul are in Janine`s flat. As they bond with the baby, thoughts of a warm reunion appear on the screen. Although we don’t know whose thoughts they are; it is the first time we get a glimpse of human desire: the need to belong somewhere.The idea of belonging is seamlessly embedded throughout this film. It begins after Paul removes Adam`s jacket that was glued to the mattress and discovers that it was “made in Bulgaria” and admits that he “feels sorry for them.” This idea aligned with the non diegetic European music facilitates their journey; it enables Adam and Paul to believe that there are people worse off than them. This notion reaches a climax when the dual protagonists meet a Bulgarian refugee.
Through their conflicting conversation, a significant question is exchanged between these characters. As the Bulgarian character criticises Dublin, Adam asks “Why are you here so?” Subsequently, it is reverted back to Adam who, rather than considering an analytical response, tells Paul to “just move!” when he asks where they are going. Unlike Samuel Beckett`s characters in Waiting for Godot, Lenny Abrahamson doesn’t allow Adam and Paul to conduct a self analysis concerning their existence because as Dr. Barry Monahan ascertains “their addictive cycle is constructed as a linear plot” (Monahan, 2006). It is important for us to see these characters as tragic in order to understand their apathy. Another way this is achieved is through a comic snowball effect.
Throughout the diegesis, Paul becomes susceptible to a number of accidents. These unfortunate incidents depict his character as being vulnerable and as the weakest link. As we observe his physical digression throughout the narrative, it is only natural to assume that he will end up dead. After all, how could be possibly survive without Paul`s strength and savvy that is responsible for their survival? Unfortunately, Lenny Abrahamson had different ideas. In the closing scene, Paul finds Adam dead and after taking a few moments to mourn his friend, we see Paul rummaging through Adam`s pockets for drugs. As he walks away, we know that his demise is inevitable.
Works cited:
Adam and Paul. Dir. Lenny Abrahamson. IFB, 2004. Film.
Monahan, Barry. Adam and Paul. Estuidios Irlandeses. 2006. Print.
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