Objects #47 + #48 - Swing-set / Pram - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) / Spotlight (2015)

Dir. Philip Kaufman / Tom McCarthy 

Unease can be conveyed in film in startlingly unique ways. As you would expect, horror films tend to dabble in this area significantly,  crossing over into other emotive responses like dread, anxiety, or tension. Both Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Spotlight deal with issues that make us uneasy. Body Snatchers deals with insidious alien invaders, with this re-make less a reaction to the Red Scare (as in the 1956 original), but more the conformity and group-think nature of humanity as a whole. Spotlight on the other hand finds unease in the response to wide-scale paedophilic abuse of children by priests in positions of power. 

In Spotlight, there is a scene where investigative reporter, Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) questions abuse victim Joe Crowley (Michael Cyril Creighton) about the specifics of his abuse by his local priest. In an earlier scene this interview began, with the two in a busy coffee shop. Pfeiffer's urging of Crowley for specifics causes him to tell her that they should get the coffees 'to go'. We are already reminded of the taboo nature of the interview and the events that will be described, with Crowley wanting to avoid anyone overhearing their discussion. When we cut back to the two, they walk in a park, Joe holding his coffee cup, nervously describing how his priest preyed on his blossoming childhood homosexuality, inviting him over for strip poker games, which would lead to sexual abuse. In a genius piece of direction and editing, we see Crowley and Pfeiffer pause their conversation as a mother pushing a pram walks by. The camera cuts briefly behind the two, as we see the pram pass them, then cuts back to Crowley, nervously continuing. 

I think this is genius as it's almost literally blink-and-you'll-miss-it, yet it is has significant power in again reminding us of the presence of vulnerable children in Boston, as well as the parents who would react negatively to not only the abuse of children being described in detail, but also, being set in 2000/2001, to Crowley's homosexuality. The entire premise is full of taboo, which the Spotlight reporters wish to break in order to call attention to a serious abuse of power. The scene ends with the two gazing up at a large church, in direct vicinity to the playground and park they'be been walking through, hammering home the serious vulnerability of Boston's children due to wide-spread religious influence being wholly accepted, and church priests being seen as innocent. As Crowley and other victims describe - how do you turn down requests from avatars of God, even if you don't understand that it's abuse?  

Also of note is how in the entire film, children are rarely seen, despite them being one of the two groups of focus of the Spotlight team. The other group, priests, are seen more, however McCarthy chooses to focus the film almost entirely on the investigation, rather than the child victims (as children, rather than grown adults) or the priests who commit the abuse. The pram then is even more powerful a symbol due to its rarity in the film.  

In Body Snatchers, the unease is directly externalized in the image of a priest, in full garb, swinging on a swing-set. What is similarly genius in the film is the simplicity in conveying this unease. By having famous actor Robert Duvall cameo in this one instance in the film, the audience reacts to the priest in the opening scene by going "Hang on, is that Robert Duvall? What the fuck is he doing in this movie?" (Ok that's how I responded, but you get the gist). The recognizability of Duvall, and his unexpected appearance make the image, that of a priest playing on the swing-set with a child (already creepy in its own right) that much odder, and thus more uneasy. His bland, stoic expression also adds to this unease, as he clearly doesn't enjoy the swinging - so what is he doing it for? He stares blankly at Elizabeth (Brooke Adams), and is the precursor to how the pod-people (the converted humans) react to humans throughout the film for the most part - with disinterested, yet focus. 

Here, the imagery of a priest and child playing, unconsciously suggests that the relationship between the alien invaders and humans will be like that of a priest abuser and a child, with the priest knowing what he does is wrong (perhaps less so with the alien invaders, who seem far more primal and biological in their take-over), and the child, unaware of the insidious nature of the abuse, like the humans unaware of the take-over until it is far too late to stop. 

There are far more horrifying, tense, and bizzare images in the film, however this initial image works fantastically in setting the scene and priming the viewer that yes, shit will get weird in this film. The half-converted dog with a hobo's face, and Donald Sutherland's final scream stick with me always as effective moments of film horror, as well as this scene with the swing-set. That three phenomenally creative and effective moments come from the same film is a testament to Kaufman, in his update of the 1956 original. Spotlight shares the subtext of priesthood abuse, and also has other moments of profound unease, such as Pfeiffer's door-way interview with an abuser who shows no remorse for his actions, and the presence of a priest known to be an abuser living down the street from Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James), a Spotlight member with children. 

Both films seriously deserve watching, and if you want creepy insidious themes, then watch these, not Insidious...these are way better.