Film Analysis of Æon Flux(2005)

Æon Flux is a renowned American science fiction movie which was released in 2005. The movie is based on the animation series of the same, which aired on MTV from 1991 to 1995. Created by Peter Chung, it is set in a surreal German Expressionist-style future. 

In 2011, a virus kills 99% of the population. Soon, a cure is developed by a scientist called Trevor Goodchild. The 1% of people who survived, thanks to the cure, live in the last city of the Earth, called Bregna. It is heavily fortified, and nobody dares to venture outside. The Goodchild dynasty continue to rule for 4 centuries, providing security in exchange of freedom. Soon, a group of rebels who go against the religion of Goodchild, emerged and united to form a group called the Monicans. Aeon is one of the Monicans, an assassin.

 The movie is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world. Things aren't always what they seem, and the narrator, Aeon, heavily emphasises on that factor alone. 

The opening scene of the movie shows our main character clad in skin-tight black body suit with a mesh-like headgear that covered her eyes. The people around her seem to enjoy their everyday lives in a sunny day. This shows the juxtaposition of Aeon's environment and Aeon herself. The mask on her eyes is a symbol of how she refuses to accept the lies spread by the Goodchild dynasty and believes the hard truth over sugarcoated lies. This scene alone sets the mood of how the movie would be- Aeon being the cold, intellectually driven, agile assassin living among people wearing rose tinted glasses. 

To properly dissect the movie and understand the mise en scene, we must first understand what exactly mise en scene is. 

Mise en scene is a French terminology literally translating to "placing on stage". It is a common terminology used, especially while shooting films. This is an amalgamation of multiple factors that go into deciding a particular scene, such as lighting, costumes, props, music, and so on. When all of these factors are synchronized in a way the scene wants to be perceived, it is called as mise en scene. 

The scene that I am going to elucidate today is the part where we are first provided with a glimpse of how good of an assassin Aeon is. 

After secretly exchanging a pill that connects her to her "handler" subconsciously, or the person who supervises all the Monicans, Aeon is provided with a mission. This mission would be the first mission through which the viewers would be able to understand Aeon's life better. A pale woman with curly, ginger hair is shown, sitting in a room full of white interior. There is a warm glow behind the woman, which puts more emphasis on her. Aeon herself is clad in white robes with a white veil covering her head, symbolising that the handler is above all the Monicans, including our main character. The mission assigned to Aeon was infiltrating and sabotaging Goodchild's surveillance system. For those wondering why the surveillance system in particular, it is later revealed in the scene that surveillance is their greatest tool against us.

 After meeting up with her sister named Una, the scene switches to her carrying out the respective mission. The lighting is minimal, and the scene is shot outside of a building that is heavily guarded by guards. 

The guards themselves are clad in black and camouflaging with the environment. Their faces are partially visible, but not enough to tell them apart. They are armed with guns, and are shown walking slowly and steadily, on high alert. Their headgear has a faint white glow to it, which makes it easy for us to identify them in the dark. This is the establishing shot of the setting, as it is evident that they would soon be attacked by our protagonist. The music is ominous and sinister, which further sets the scene. 

The scene then cuts to show Aeon. She is wearing a white jumpsuit with slick back hair. Usually, assassins are shown wearing black jumpsuits to show that they are agile, quick, and difficult to capture. Yet here she is sporting something the opposite of that. This is to signify that she is a rebel, and that she is not on their side. She is fighting for the greater good and could go to any extent for that matter. 

Her movements are quick and quiet, like a cat. She quickly scouts the area. Without wasting any time to think, she quickly takes out something from the neck of her jumpsuit and skillfully aims at a guard, making him fall down. This caught the attention of other guards, who turned around as soon as the body hit the floor. The scene then cuts to Aeon jumping from the high wall she was perched on. The lighting is minimal and warm, casting shadows on Aeon's face. 

The somber music gradually shifts to a fighting scene music with faster beats. This sets the tone for the scene, as Aeon twists the neck of a guard using her thighs and takes out the other by kicking his jaw from underneath. As the guards lie motionless on the wet asphalt, the camera slowly pans to show Aeon sprinting closer towards the exterior of the building. 

The background music gradually reverts back to an ominous, quiet music. Aeon is shown sneaking up from behind the guards patrolling. The guards here aren't wearing the headgear the previous guards were wearing, making them harder to spot in the darkness. She attacks the guards by twisting their neck and quickly killing them with minimal effort. This tells the viewers more on how skilled they expect Aeon to be. Her quick movements are exactly how an assassin is expected to be like. 

The scene then cuts to a camera panning to show Aeon crawling across the roof without making any noise, and with a good amount of speed. Her expression is focused and on high alert the entire time. The background music switches back to the stealthy, ambient music with funky beats which sets the mood. It is then revealed that just outside the surveillance system are 2 guards patrolling. They do notice suspicious activity but are not able to spot Aeon. As soon as the guard turns, Aeon plunges at him. He does not get enough time to react and rolls off the roof as Aeon pulls him to the ground. 

The other guard meets the same fate as the previous one. She delivers a sharp kick to the base of his jaw, making him roll off the roof as well. During the entire scene, there are grunts and amplified noises of kicks and punches. This shows that Aeon is sly and quick and can easily get the job done without breaking a sweat. 

After the coast is clear, Aeon does an excellent backflip and goes into the tiny, cylindrical opening of the surveillance system.

The lighting, background music, costume design, shot angles, and many such factors play a vital role while shooting a scene in a film. Mise en scene is an art that requires excessive planning, yet often goes overlooked. 

The experience I gained from this film is impeccable as apart from being a milestone in the genre of sci-fi, the main character is portrayed by a woman. During the shooting of the movie and the release of the animation series prior to the same, it was quite uncommon to have a woman as the main character. 

Æon Flux has influenced other such dystopian, sci-fi movies such as Love, Death and Robots, Dune and Black Mirror.