Genre: Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Abducted FBI agent Emily Byrne is found alive after being presumed dead when she went missing in absentia six years ago, and must clear her name when she is connected to a series of murders.
Absentia is an Amazon Prime original 10 episode mini-series. It stars Stana Katic as Emily Byrne, and was created by Matthew Cirulnick and Gaia Violo. All 10 episodes were directed by Oded Ruskin.
Analysis:
Auteur Theory
The auteur theory states that 'the director, who oversees all audio and visual elements of the motion picture, is more to be considered the “author” of the movie than is the writer of the screenplay. In other words, such fundamental visual elements as camera placement, blocking, lighting, and scene length, rather than plot line, convey the message of the film' (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2017).Since all 10 episodes of Absentia are directed by Oded Ruskin, it could be argued that he is the 'auteur' of the piece. This is unusual for TV however, as normally directors change each episode, with the showrunner (writer/producer or creator) having more input into the production.
A choice attributed to how Oded Ruskin could handle multiple storylines at once was that the whole series was filmed like an independent feature, out of order, dependent on the location (Abrams, 2018). Therefore, as a director, he had a lot of influence over how the series was shot, and can be seen to be technically competent as can organise a production with clarity and coherence. This is one of three criterion set out by Andrew Sarris (1974:513) which define an 'auteur', along with a distinguishable personality and style, and interior meaning (art created from tension between a director's personality and the film made).
With regard to interior meaning, I agree more with Pauline Kael, because Sarris (1974:513) defines interior meaning as being created 'from the tension between a director's personality and his material.' However, as Kael (1963:17) points out, this 'is the opposite of what we have always taken for granted in the arts, that the artist expresses himself in the unity of form and content', so meaning does not have to be looked for as the artist/director uses the medium of TV to express them-self.
Oded Ruskin could therefore be seen as the 'auteur' of the show, but because of the collaborative medium of TV it is probable that he did not have the final cut of the piece, and that this was instead determined by any number of editors, producers, or even the creators of the show.
Therefore, many of the people who worked on the series could be seen to be an 'auteur' of the show, for example, the lead actress, Stana Katic, also serves as an executive producer, so is not only the face of the show but also helps to make decisions behind the scenes.
Crime genre codes and conventions
Because of the various issues with auteur theory, genre theory can be seen as an alternative. Rather than seeing texts as individual works of a director, genre theory allows texts to be seen along with others which show similar codes and conventions and historical/social/political contexts. They are seen as commercial products of the industry.
Absentia can be seen as part of the crime genre because of the codes and conventions it utilises. There are several chase scenes, mainly because the main character is a fugitive with a price on her head, therefore she often has to run from people who plan to turn her in to the FBI. There are also flashbacks to the main character Emily's childhood, which give the audience context as to her actions in the present. There are also many shots when Emily appears out of the darkness at the edge of the frame or the camera pans or tilts to reveal her, or to build tension.
The lighting is mostly low-key, and flashlights are often used to illuminate dark scenes, creating a contrast between light and dark.
Archetypes are also present in the series, for example, the main character Emily could be identified as 'the rebel' (hero/anti-hero), as she used to be an FBI agent, but has since been corrupted by her abduction so does not play by the rules. 'The king' archetype could be seen to be Agent Crown as he runs the precinct and orders the other agents in the field, whilst 'the sage' archetype could be seen to fit Emily's father, Warren, as he used to be a cop, and is elderly and wise, often giving many of the characters advice. 'The innocent' archetype could also be seen to be present in Emily's son Flynn, as he is only a child so the audience are empathetic towards him and what he goes through.
Conflicts in policing methods are also present as Emily, being a former FBI agent, believes she can solve the murders and clear her name as she is led back to her captor, but her ex-husband, Nick, does not believe her and wants to use more traditional policing methods to solve the case since Emily sometimes uses violence to get information. This is essential to the drama of the show, and can be seen in other shows defined as being part of the crime genre such as Veronica Mars and Castle.
However, Absentia breaks the traditional codes and conventions of the crime genre in that a continuous ongoing narrative runs throughout every episode. The location is also constantly changing, especially in the later episodes when the FBI are following Emily more and more, as the precinct is still returned to, but less. The audience are also only lured into the sense that the crime is solved by the end of the series, as the end scene shows Emily having a vision which implies that she could have actually been the criminal, so the narrative is left completely unresolved and open.
Authenticity is an issue in the setting as the series attempts to be set in Boston, even though it was filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria (Goodman, 2018). This is noticeable as none of the actors have accents that suggest the series is set in Boston (Stana Katic is Canadian and many of the other actors are English putting on American accents), and some of the street signs can be seen to be obviously written in Bulgarian. However, many of the props and costumes are authentic such as the scars on Emily's face, even though the series was shot out of order and, according to the Hollywood Reporter (Richford, 2017), Stana Katic performs most of her own stunts which adds a new level of authenticity, especially when she is seen in the tank of water as the audience can see it is her.
Absentia can be seen as part of the crime genre because of the codes and conventions it utilises. There are several chase scenes, mainly because the main character is a fugitive with a price on her head, therefore she often has to run from people who plan to turn her in to the FBI. There are also flashbacks to the main character Emily's childhood, which give the audience context as to her actions in the present. There are also many shots when Emily appears out of the darkness at the edge of the frame or the camera pans or tilts to reveal her, or to build tension.
Archetypes are also present in the series, for example, the main character Emily could be identified as 'the rebel' (hero/anti-hero), as she used to be an FBI agent, but has since been corrupted by her abduction so does not play by the rules. 'The king' archetype could be seen to be Agent Crown as he runs the precinct and orders the other agents in the field, whilst 'the sage' archetype could be seen to fit Emily's father, Warren, as he used to be a cop, and is elderly and wise, often giving many of the characters advice. 'The innocent' archetype could also be seen to be present in Emily's son Flynn, as he is only a child so the audience are empathetic towards him and what he goes through.
However, Absentia breaks the traditional codes and conventions of the crime genre in that a continuous ongoing narrative runs throughout every episode. The location is also constantly changing, especially in the later episodes when the FBI are following Emily more and more, as the precinct is still returned to, but less. The audience are also only lured into the sense that the crime is solved by the end of the series, as the end scene shows Emily having a vision which implies that she could have actually been the criminal, so the narrative is left completely unresolved and open.
Authenticity is an issue in the setting as the series attempts to be set in Boston, even though it was filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria (Goodman, 2018). This is noticeable as none of the actors have accents that suggest the series is set in Boston (Stana Katic is Canadian and many of the other actors are English putting on American accents), and some of the street signs can be seen to be obviously written in Bulgarian. However, many of the props and costumes are authentic such as the scars on Emily's face, even though the series was shot out of order and, according to the Hollywood Reporter (Richford, 2017), Stana Katic performs most of her own stunts which adds a new level of authenticity, especially when she is seen in the tank of water as the audience can see it is her.
Agency
As the main character, Emily has the most agency. She drives the narrative as is constantly looking for clues and following up on leads as a fugitive in the wild. Her agency is compromised slightly when she is shot, as she then briefly becomes dependent on her brother, a doctor, as she can not move until he gets the bullet out of her and dresses the wound. Even though she often receives advice from supporting characters she acts on it only when she feels it is necessary. She changes the narrative the most, which means as a character she is always changing, even causing the relationship between her and the audience to constantly alter as it is not often clear if she can be trusted.
However, her ex-husand, Nick, seems to have little agency since he does nothing but follow Emily around, as she leads him and the rest of the FBI to the criminal who abducted her. In the first episode he briefly has more agency than Emily when he rescues her from the tank of water, but this changes quickly once Emily becomes a fugitive.
Violence against women and children
An issue with the series is that violence and crime is often trivialised as it is used in excess, especially against women and children.
Emily's brother, Jack, is seen through video to commit several acts of violence against women, and is doing so because he is a customer of a known criminal. However, even though Emily is seen to be disgusted by this, she still asks for his help when she gets shot, and even after he is arrested he is not punished, but instead is bailed out by other criminal so he can continue helping Emily. At the end of the series his crimes seem to have been forgotten.
The damsel in distress stereotype is also seen as Emily has to be rescued by both Jack when she is shot, and Nick when she is stuck in the tank of water. This is understandable in that no character can save them-self all the time, but violence is used like this often in media to make women seem stronger. As tweeted by actress Jessica Chastain (2018), 'How many images of women in media do we celebrate that showcase abuse? When did this become 'normalised' entertainment?... We don't need abuse in order to be powerful. We already are.' Emily's journey, as seen through flashbacks, show her as having a traumatic childhood of being in the foster system, and then as being a women who has been taken from her child to suffer torture in the hands of an unknown captor. This is shown very explicitly through montages of Emily being repeatedly hit by someone offscreen, blood splattering across her face.
The violence against children is mainly only heard through tapes Emily finds, but this is still as disturbing as the montages, if not more so, as it is uncertain exactly what the fate of the children is. Two of them are seen to become known criminals, one being Emily's captor.
Trauma can be a positive thing to be worked through in the form of art as stated by Martin Basolglu, a researcher into trauma, in an article by William Proctor (2015), as 'exposure to trauma reminders provides an opportunity to gain control over them'. However, it is used in excess throughout Absentia, as pointed out by the Hollywood Reporter who stated that 'the character was a physical challenge for Katic, who spends several scenes beat up and bloodied' (Richford, 2017).
Symbolism
This can be seen to be used throughout Absentia with the recurring motif of water symbolising rebirth for Emily. In the first episode this is seen when she is believed to be dead, but is then found in a tank of water. When she is released by the FBI her life seems to begin again as she must readjust after being gone for six years.
Later in the series this is used as Emily has to conquer her fear of water to get away from the FBI who believe she is guilty of a murder. She swims across a lake and is eventually seen coming out on the other side. However, the scenes that are shown between the time she goes into the lake and the time she comes out show that people's perceptions of her have begun to change. This marks the beginning of Emily's life as a fugitive as she attempts to solve the crime and clear her name.
Review:
What drew me to watching Absentia initially was that while reading about Stana Katic's other show Castle, I had heard she does most of her own stunts in this one, including being in the tank of water. I had planned to watch just that scene out of curiosity for how it was filmed, but I found that the storyline was so gripping I wanted to continue. I ended up watching all 10 episodes in one week, and what surprised me is that I enjoyed the series even though it was much darker and had a lot more violence in it than what I would normally choose to watch. However, since watching Castle I have found that I have become more used to blood on TV, as long as I know it is fictional, it is not excessive, and is taken seriously. What interested me most about Absentia was the production values and how it was filmed out of order, attempting to pass Bulgaria for Boston. This didn't work and took away from the narrative in places. I think it would have been better if they had left it as being set in Bulgaria, and FBI agents go there to find Emily, as then more of the cast could have also used their own accents rather than fake American ones. Apart from this unbelievable setting and the excessive violence I enjoyed the rest of the show, especially the way that the scenes were mostly quite long and quiet because this helped to build tension and made me question the characters' morals often. It was refreshing to see a female character have so much agency, and even get frustrated when it got to the point where she had to wait for the other characters to help her because she had done all she could. After the cliff-hanger at the end of the first season I would love to see a second season, but only if the violence is less excessive, and Emily's brother is seen to be punished for his crimes.
References:
Abrams, N. (2018) 'Stana Katic previews new thriller Absentia, opens up about 'harsh' Castle exit' In: Entertainment Weekly [online] At:stana-katic-absentia-castle-exit (Accessed 24 March 2018)
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2017) Auteur Theory. At: https://www.britannica.com/art/auteur-theory (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Goodman, T. 'Absentia TV review' In: hollywoodreporter.com [online] At: absentia-review-1081292 (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Jes_chastain (2018) At:https://twitter.com/jes_chastain (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Kael, P. (1963) ‘Circles and Squares’ In: Film Quarterly 16 (3) pp. 12-26
Merriam-Webster. (2018) 'Symbolism' definition 1 [online] At: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolism (Accessed on 25 March 2018)
Proctor, W (2015) 'The Game of Thrones Rape Debate' In: cstonline.net 12.06.2015 [online] At: http://cstonline.net/the-game-of-thrones-rape-debate-by-william-proctor/ (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Richford, R. (2017) 'Monte Carlo TV: Sony's FBI Thriller 'Absentia' Marks New Direction for Networks Group' In: hollywoodreporter.com [online] At: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/monte-carlo-tv-sonys-fbi-thriller-absentia-marks-new-direction-networks-group-1014549 (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Sarris, A. (1974) ‘Notes on the auteur theory in 1962’ In: Mast, G. (ed.) Film theory and criticism: introductory readings. London: Oxford University Press. pp.500-515.
Goodman, T. 'Absentia TV review' In: hollywoodreporter.com [online] At: absentia-review-1081292 (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Jes_chastain (2018) At:https://twitter.com/jes_chastain (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Kael, P. (1963) ‘Circles and Squares’ In: Film Quarterly 16 (3) pp. 12-26
Merriam-Webster. (2018) 'Symbolism' definition 1 [online] At: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbolism (Accessed on 25 March 2018)
Proctor, W (2015) 'The Game of Thrones Rape Debate' In: cstonline.net 12.06.2015 [online] At: http://cstonline.net/the-game-of-thrones-rape-debate-by-william-proctor/ (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Richford, R. (2017) 'Monte Carlo TV: Sony's FBI Thriller 'Absentia' Marks New Direction for Networks Group' In: hollywoodreporter.com [online] At: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/monte-carlo-tv-sonys-fbi-thriller-absentia-marks-new-direction-networks-group-1014549 (Accessed on 24 March 2018)
Sarris, A. (1974) ‘Notes on the auteur theory in 1962’ In: Mast, G. (ed.) Film theory and criticism: introductory readings. London: Oxford University Press. pp.500-515.
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