The Ma-tricks: reflection

I've been watching movies since before I can remember and to this day movies remain to be one of my favorite things in the world, but one thing I love even more than any old movie, is a movie with an excellent metaphor. The Matrix carries a theme through its entirety that is beautifully displayed through the use of lighting and smooth editing. The motif of the reflections in Morpheus and eventually Agent Smith's sunglasses are in conjunction with Neo's internal state.

Over the course of the film, Neo faces choices and each choice would dramatically change the outcome. In the scene where Neo meets Morpheus for the first time, Morpheus offers to show him the truth, but it is a choice that is left up to Neo.The filmmakers use the reflections in Morpheus's sunglasses to show us the choice that Neo makes, and equally the choice that doesn't make. I think that the shot of Neo's reflection in Morpheus's sunglasses being offered the two pills is one of the coolest shots in the whole movie because of the use of reflection and the smooth editing. Although it is not parallel editing in the strictest sense, each glass in Morpheus's sunglasses shows us a different shot side by side. In one shot, we see Neo reaching out his hand to take the red pill, but in the other shot we see Neo looking at Morpheus but not reaching for the blue pill. We not only see him make his choice to see the truth about the world, but we see the denial of the false world even more prevalently than we would have if we had seen Neo take the red pill from a 3rd person view. Neo sees himself take one path in his sunglasses.

Neo is faced with another challenge when he is put back into the matrix simulation.  He comes face to face with the woman in the red dress who is actually an Agent Smith in disguise. We see Neo's head in the reflection of Morpheus's sunglasses again. Similar to the pills scene, we see two different Neo's. One has a gun to his head and one stands in no danger of being harmed. Neo is farther down his path. He has already chosen to learn the truth but he still doubts the fact that he is the One that Morpheus speak of.

 The final piece of the motif using sunglasses to reflect Neo's inner state is in the fight between Neo and Agent Smith. Neo hits Agent Smith, breaking one side of his sunglasses, shattering one of his reflections and leaving only one Neo to be reflected. It is during this scene that Neo begins to really believe that he is the One Morpheus has been searching for. The shattering of one side of the sunglasses symbolizes Neo's acceptance of his path, or his fate.

There is one reflection that expresses Neo inner state but is not expressed through sunglasses. It is reflected in the doorknob of the Oracle's apartment. This reflection is interesting because the doorknob distorts Neo's reflection while Morpheus's reflection is not that distorted. The doorknob reflects the uncertain path of fate. Where the two pills gave two very clear and separate paths, fate offers a distorted and often unclear path to Neo, who doesn't yet believe that he is the One, but it offers a clearer path to Morpheus, who is sure that he has found the One and so fulfilled his destiny.

Works Cited

The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. 1999. DVD.

Barsam, Richard Meran., and Dave Monahan. "Principles of Film Form." Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010. N. pag. Print.

Morpheus Offers Truth. N.d. Photograph. Web. <www.volacci.com>.

Morpheus and Neo Back in the Matrix. N.d. Photograph. Web. <media.theiapolis.com>.

Agent Smith. N.d. Photograph. Web. <madgermanexpressionism.blogspot.com>.

The Oracle. N.d. Photograph. Web. <madgermanexpressionism.blogspot.com>.