Experimental Short - Fisticuffs

Fisticuffs by Miranda Pennell is a non-linear short film depicting various fights between 6 customers at a typical British pub. Throughout the film, several references to Western cinema and culture are made, such as the film seen on the television and the square dancing club seen in the room adjacent to the pub. The non-linear narrative comes into play when the long-haired man (seen on the far right in the below image) appears to enter the bar multiple times; each time being attacked by a different bar-goer. Afterwards, he then returns to the door he entered from and the process repeats. That is until a man wearing what seems to be a cowboy outfit walks into the bar; a scene very reminiscent of Western cinema (this man being the teacher in the square dancing club). After this, the bar-goers seem to fight among themselves; the long-haired man soon getting involved. The non-linear narrative comes into play again when the bar-goers seem to very rapidly change opponents, within the span of just a few seconds. The film is simultaneously realistic and surrealistic

The four fighters seen here rapidly alternate between opponents within what seems to be a single shot.

The fights seem to go completely unnoticed by the other bar-goers; the violence seemingly having no consequences on the fighters, nor the world around them; much like the Westerns that they are referencing. These references to Western cinema, coupled with the obliviousness of the other bar-goers, reflects a gritty reality of British culture. Although it is exaggerated for the sake of the film, such fights have become largely incorporated into our society, particularly in an environment such as this.

The film exhibits some of the characteristics of an 'Associational Form'. According to an extract from Bordwell and Thompson: 

"Associational formal systems suggest ideas and expressive qualities by grouping images that may not have any immediate logical connection. But the very fact that the images and sounds are juxtaposed prods us to look for some connection - an association that binds them together." 

 - Bordwell, D., Thompson. K., (2007). Film art: An introduction (8th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill

In this case, the two seemingly unconnected images are those of the pub brawl, juxtaposed with those of the square dancing club. At a glance, the two seem to have little connection, however, the association that can be made between the two is that they both reference a part of Western culture, as well as Western cinema. Hence, the two actually work in combination to provide commentary on the condition of society; comparing it to that of the violence of Old Western movies.