'Cubs'

The film was directed and written by Tom Harper and produced by Lisa Williams. It released in 2006. It received a BAFTA film nomination and won the British Independent Film Award. The plot is very controversial as it’s about fox hunting, a once popular sport. However, there is a modern twist as the action taking place in an extremely urban area with a gang of youths as the hunters when, usually, we would associate fox hunting with upper class people. Many themes and issues surface throughout the film such as violence, responsibility, leadership and peer pressure.

The opening is very misleading, which I believe was a strategic decision by the director because a group of youths are playing football while shouting. Therefore, this immediately caused me to make the preconception that the plot will revolve around these youths in a stereotypical way so, for example, gang crime etc. The camera movements are very swift and shots switch between different characters at a fast editorial pace. Following this, we are introduced to two primary characters, one male and one female, Ben and Davis. The shot reverse shot and close-ups between them indicate they share an intimate relationship, which is also shown by the generous gesture from Ben. He gives up his gloves because the Davis is “freezing”. They then have a conversation where Davis states she should’ve been home “ages ago but oh well”. This subliminally highlights the theme of teenage rebellion while diverting from what’s to come. To expand upon this, at this point, I still thought the plot would be based around teenagers conducting bad social behaviour.

The mise-en-scene conveys to us a real sense of urban grittiness through the location, which has graffiti covering the walls. In addition, the lighting is grey which connotes dullness and allows us to see they’re in a city area. Despite this, the lighting also communicates ambiguity, which, again, I feel is a strategic directorial decision that becomes more understandable as the film goes on. The diegetic sound accentuates the realism, which is what a film of this content is trying to do because everything is meant to be kept naturalistic to stay true to the genre by conforming to the codes and conventions.

We know who the other main character will be by the way Ben and Davis jump up saying “he’s here”. He’s clearly a gang leader as he has two others walking behind him in an ordered manner. Ben and Davis are both worried but they haven’t shared their concern. This is conveyed by the focus pull between them as it separately shows their facial expressions in the same close-up shot. When the gang member enters, he slams the gate open and the loudness of the diegetic sound emphasises his authority and aggression. The gang leader is revealed as Karl and everybody lines up to show their respect when he squares up to them.

Ben is disappointed when Karl doesn’t “pick him”. At this point, it’s unclear why Karl is choosing people but it obviously means a lot to the youths as when an older boy is chosen, he’s very smug while the younger ones are frustrated and blame each other for Karl not picking them. Much to Ben’s annoyance, Davis tells him she knew they wouldn’t be chosen. However, Ben chases after Karl leading to a medium shot where they’re situated at either end of the frame showing their separation in terms of status. Karl eventually, reluctantly agrees to choose them and tells them he’ll see them later.

The next shot is a point-of-view; Ben and Davis are seen looking down at the gang through a metal fence. It’s metaphorically representing a shield, protecting them from what’s to come while making them feel uneasy about the whole situation. It’s also indicative of how they’re unsure whether they want to actually join the gang. This idea is sustained by the fact it’s a high angle shot showing them looking in because it’s communicating how, at the point, they have the moral high ground and still have that chance to back out.

The lighting immediately changes to bright when they’re in the tunnel with other youths. It’s exposing their negative behaviour, foreshadowing something is going to take place which has consequences for Ben and Davis. For example, there’s smoking and drinking going on and the parallel editing gives both us, the audience, and Ben an insight into what’s about to happen. Upon further analysis, one youth says to another “I can’t believe you screamed, like a girl, over a bit of blood” to which the other one replies “were you even there though? No”. The camera then cuts to a close-up of Ben’s anxious face. While all this is going on, Karl arrives with two ferocious looking dogs.

Karl then walks over to Ben, hands him a cricket bat and tells him “if you fuck up tonight, you’re on your own, get me?” This puts a lot of pressure on Ben, who is looking more worried than ever. The editorial pace quickens and the camera cuts to a close-up of the dogs barking before cutting to a wide shot of the whole gang getting ready to go. It then continues to cut to different members of the gang before finally ending on Karl shouting. Everyone starts to run and the diegetic sounds are drowned out by a non diegetic urban beat.

After frantically chasing the fox, they manage to corner it and it’s up to Ben to hit it with the cricket bat, however, he loses it much to the others dismay. Despite this, Ben see’s the fox again as he’s walking away, he has to make a quick decision about whether to let it go or tell the others. Not wanting to taint his reputation amongst the gang, he tells them and they chase the fox once again.

The dogs capture the fox and the handheld camera makes it difficult to decipher exactly what’s happening but the fox can be heard whelping in excruciating pain. Karl then hands Ben a gun and tells him to “initiate it”, in other words, he’s basically saying “you be the one to kill the fox”. This is where peer pressure is most predominant and there’s a very subtle link to my own A2 film in terms of everyone trying to convince Ben to shoot the fox because the primary character in mine is in a different situation but faced with a similar dilemma, doing something they really don’t want to.

There is another focus pull between the fox and the gun, which Ben is now aiming at its head. This really accentuates the violence because we can see the injuries the fox has endured. As an audience, we really feel sympathetic towards the helpless fox so it’s evoking that strong sense of emotion while putting fox hunting in a completely negative light. Eventually, Ben pulls the trigger and everyone cheers for him. Karl says “you’re one of us now” and smears Ben’s face with blood. Davis looks upset and disappointed. The diegetic sound of sirens can be heard so the gang scarper and the following shot is of the fox laying dead, situated in the centre of the frame, which makes it more effective because we can see how it’s been tortured.

The camera then cuts to the gang celebrating around a fire and although Ben and Davis are sitting together, they’re now very distant emotionally as show by the way Davis is looking away from him. Moreover, there is then another focus pull, similar to the one between them earlier, although now it emphasises her disappointment and his guilt. She places his gloves in his hands and leaves with a melancholic expression upon her face. Ben wipes the blood from his face before Karl asks him to join them near the fire. The fox’s tail is getting waved around and everyone is cheering except Ben who clearly wishes he had never gotten involved in the first place.