Introduction
The main focus for this journal will be discussing about postmodernism. It promotes reflective stands on social, political and cultural agendas and resonances. Daniel Palmer (2014) once asked his students what postmodernism actually meant, and one of his students replied that "It is when you put everything in question mark"(para.1). In other words, postmodernism is about questioning the existing knowledge. People are often skeptical about the criteria we set for a particular structure and will somehow revise them. Therefore, in a postmodernist's viewpoint, there are no universal truths.
Theory Discussion
Postmodernism can be fall under two categories which are simulation and prefabrication. Simulation includes parody and pastiche whereas prefabrication includes intertextuality and bricolage. As mentioned earlier, postmodernism tends to blur the strict boundaries for structures; hence, the postmodernist component found in the film Paranorman is hybrid genre. According to Oxford Reference (n.d.), hybrid genre can be defined as the combination of two or more genres (para.1). For the film Paranorman, the genres that could be determined are horror and comedy. Therefore, Semantic/Syntactic Approach that is proposed by Rick Altman could no longer work in hybrid genre.
Synopsis
Paranorman is a stop-motion animated film which is directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler. The story tells about a boy, Norman Babcock, who has the ability to visualize and communicate with the ceased souls. He was bullied due to his extraordinary ability by his peers. But somehow, there was a boy named Neil Downe who believed all Norman's doings. Norman was then forced by his uncle to inherit the obligation of protecting the town, by reading story to the witch every year. Norman eventually failed the task, enabling the awaken of the witch and the cursed dead. After understanding the witch's past, Norman insisted to persuade and rescue the witch. At last, the curse was broken and the witch as well as the cursed dead could finally rest in peace.
Analysis
As mentioned earlier, Paranorman can be classified as a horror-comedy genre hybrid film. Follow by, there are certain scenes' mise-en-scene and syntax which can prove so.
Norman's failure in reading the story at the exact location induced the arisen of the witch, Aggie, and the zombies. Based on this particular scene, this film can be classified as having horror element due to the appearance of the unnatural, which are the witch and the zombies. The syntax of horror could exactly be found when the zombies entered the town. The normalcy of town was disrupted by the advent of the cursed dead. There was an uproar in the town where the civilians attacked the zombies in order to protect themselves. In fact, the real threat was Aggie, the witch who wanted to avenge for herself. The dark clouds with demonic laughing faces could perfectly portray the visual perspective of a horror film.
Except for being an horror film, there are some laughable characters which can prove Paranorman as a comedy film. The best one would be the bully, Alvin. He was a good-for-nothing guy who did mischievous acts such as trying to impress a couple of girls, bullying Norman who always had conversation with the thin air, mocking Neil's appearance despite he himself being far from a beacon of physical health himself and etc. At first, he seemed to be a tough guy, but he turned to be a coward when facing with the apocalypse of the cursed dead. His dramatic personality had clearly displayed the visual perspective of comedy.
Besides, Courtney Babcock who treated her younger brother, Norman Babcock, poorly turned to be feminine and kind when confronting with Mitch Downe. Courtney was attracted by Mitch's physique when he appeared to be topless in front of the door. She acted to be weak and needy in front of Mitch so that he could give her some affection. The contrast of Courtney treating Norman and Mitch had reflected the theme of exaggerated situation of comedy.
Paranorman could be considered as a postmodernist film due to some of its elements. The first element would be breaking the mindset towards the villains. The cursed dead were expected to be brain-eating and threatening zombies. In fact, they were afraid of the civilians and was longing for Norman's help to set them free. They were cursed by Aggie and could not proceed to the afterlife. Other than that, Mitch Downe's confession of his sexual orientation was the second element which represented postmodernism. As he was seemed to manly and muscular from beginning to end, it was a big plot twist for the audience when he mentioned "my boyfriend". This particular scene broke the traditional labeling of the connection between masculinity and heterosexuality.
Therefore, Semantic/Syntactic Approach could not work under postmodernist film. Under this approach, each genre has a set of distinctive criteria. Hybrid genre, which is one type of postmodernism, broke the structure of the respective genre and mixed them around to produce a new film. Hence, the genre's criteria were altered and opposed the Semantic/Syntactic Approach's manner of categorizing film. Film with mixing genres could no longer be classified with this method.
Conclusion
Paranorman is a film which consists of more than one genre. The characters have inimitable personality which made Paranorman a good film to be enjoyed. Postmodernist elements could be found throughout the film and most importantly, audience are taught not to judge a book by its cover. Man, woman and child ought to leave aside of their biases, step out of their comfort zone and expose themselves to new strange things.
Reference
1. Oxford Reference (n.d.). Retrieved from:
http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20111108103413377
2. Palmer, D. (2014). Explainer: what is postmodernism? Retrieved from:
https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-postmodernism-20791
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