The Matrix Discussion
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The “real world” is shown by using dark colors, such as black and gray, the “Matrix” is distinguished by brighter colors. However, there is one scene that I thought showed a different perspective, which was when Neo met Morpheous for the first time. It was raining, the room was dingy and the scene was shot in low key, diffusing the lighting, which gave an eerie and mysterious feeling. The directors shot Neo and Morpheous in a personal distance quarter turn, showing Neo lost in his own thoughts trying to decipher what was real and what was not. They were also shot close up so that we could focus on the conversation they were having as it was important because it would lead up to Neo making a major decision about his future. I think this scene brought our attention Neos uncertainty and also emphasized what the Matrix really was, “a world pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth…slavery for the mind…” stated by Morpheous. This is the first time we can see that “The Matrix” is not the great place it was assumed to be in the beginning.
As I looked deeper at this scene, I saw the glass of water as the dominant, leading me to believe that whatever happened next had something to do with it. The glass of water was accented by the backlights, which gave it a luminous shadow heightening its sense of importance. The subsidiary contrast was the little silver box Morpheous was anxiously moving around in his hands, especially once he emptied its contents into his hands and placed it on the same table as the glass.
This scene was the turning point in the movie. All of the lighting, shots and dialog together, suggested that once Neo made up his mind there was no turning back.
The Matrix. Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. 1999. DVD.Warner Brothers, 2001