In the movie “ Mean Creek” we are faced with many characters with their own set of morals and personalities. However, like all movies there must be a villain who does evil deliberately and is the principle bad character in the film. It is without a doubt that Marty is the real villain in Mean Creek. This is shown through his costume, various camera angles and props that flood the film. Marty is shown throughout the film as villainous due to many factors, but one element Estes uses to communicate to his viewers that Marty is a negative influence is his dark costume.
This is shown throughout the movie where he is shown wearing dark clothes. An example would be on the boat where Marty is shown wearing an all black tank top. This contrasts with Millie who wears bright pink clothes, symbolizing her innocence. Millie is portrayed as innocent in stark contrast to Marty who is seen to be a rebellious adolescent. We are further shown this when we view the houses of both Marty and Millie as they perfectly contract with each other. Marty’s life is surrounded with guns, alcohol and general abuse, where as Millie is faced with a much more innocent and protected life.
We know this due to the scene that shows her making notes about what she will talk about on her date with Sam. Her room is surrounded with pink and is neat and tidy. Estes further portrays Marty through his use of camera angles which further testify that Marty is the real villain. We are shown this several times throughout the movie but none is more apparent than when the group is on the boat. Marty is frequently shown as above the other members of the group due to Estes using a camera angle which looks up at Marty.
This shows Marty as powerful and in full control. Estes goes on to show a close-up of Marty, again on the boat, which focuses in on his eyes. This allows the viewer to see the pure anger which Marty is facing. Again, Estes uses close-ups to present Marty as the dominant character, and the true villain in the film. Finally, Marty is again show as a villain as he; Rocky and Clyde leave the pizza shop. Marty is positioned in the center of the three showing his dominance.
This shows that he is above the other two, making him a villain. He is considered as a more significant character and of far greater importance. Upon analyzing the movie it becomes apparent that Estes uses several props to further the claim that Marty is the real villain in the film. This is shown by Estes positioning a bottle of alcohol and a cigarette with Marty in most scenes. Alcohol is synonymous with wild, aggressive villains and by Estes positioning Marty with these people he associates Marty with these types of people.
The presence of a bumper sticker on his mother’s car stating; “ my kid beat the crap out of your honour student” also shows that Marty is raised with the sentiment that violence is the answer, which presents Marty in a villainous light. Marty may be misguided, have a troubled home life and a poor upbringing but this does not justify the constant wrongdoings that occur throughout the movie. Marty is the real villain in “ Mean Creek” and has a tendency to causes pain and suffering. Through the use of film techniques, Estes presents Marty as the true villain that
