Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

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Although there is a very clear narrative structure and many logical sequence shots in the film, some surrealistic elements in Meshes of the Afternoon still disorient the viewers. For example, a shot in which the girl takes out a key from her mouth, or another shot in which the key is changed into a knife-If the viewers watch these two shots individually, both the shots look unreal in the daily life. They are full of imagination, and they are difficult to interpret. However, if the viewers watch them in a whole, it’s much easier to understand. Viewers know the girl is in her dream, so everything can happen; viewers know the key and the knife has repeated many times, so they must have special symbolic meanings. While viewers watching the film, they’ll be more and more involving in the film, and will have their individual understanding through the story. Furthermore, by using the objective shots varying with time and causality, Deren introduces viewers a communicable narrative process, thus showing them a complete story. Even there’re surrealistic elements in the film, viewers have already made their own narrative in their mind.

As I discussed above, Meshes of the Afternoon follows a clear narrative structure, and the use of sequence shots and the space makes the film more understandable, therefore, helping the audience creating their own narrative while watching. That’s why I suggest that Meshes of the Afternoon is a kind of narrative film. Next I will characterize what the sort of narrative is in this film. In terms of narrative structure, I’ll say Meshes of the Afternoon could be a linear narrative. On the one hand, the story is presented in a logical way by telling what happened from one point in time to the next without using flashbacks.[6] The story begins with the real world, builds the dream world in the middle, and ends with the real, in chronological order. On the other hand, I’ll say the sort of narrative in Meshes of the Afternoon could be an ‘artistic’ narrative. A pleased dream, a woman covered by mirror, multiple 'myself's, woman floating above the stairs, key in the mouth, key becomes the knife. With a camera, Deren creates an imaginative real more real than real. She creates the narration through the space and the time. Watching her film is like traveling in different space and time, appreciating a mixture of art forms. That’s why I characterize her film as an ‘artistic’ narrative. What’s more, I’ll also describe to be an abstract narrative. By symbolizing items, Deren gives them different meanings. She then applied these items into her story, for example, in Meshes of the Afternoon, knife is a symbol of man. The story is afterwards connected together by various symbols, although it’s abstract, we can still find a way of narrative within the film. That’s why I characterize her film as an interior narrative.

In general, it’s the above aspects that illustrate why I think Meshes of the Afternoon is a narrative film and why I characterize it as linear and ‘artistic’ and abstract narrative. Maya Deren, the mother of avant-garde films, incorporates the film with her interest in dancing, psychology and semiology, impressing the viewer every time they see her films. Nevertheless, I believe the study of this work will enable us not only to receive more knowledge on narration, but also to have a better understanding of avant-garde films, and how they affect the contemporary films.