Isolation And Alienation In The Film 'Drifting'

“Drifting”
In Mike Nichols’ film The Graduate (Nichols, 1967) our protagonist Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is introduced as a recent college graduate that is deeply concerned for his future, yet in the scene “Drifting” the audience is able to see how Benjamin’s loses sense of purpose and care. Having the scene composed of shots that dissolve into each other as well as having impossible match on action shots not only create a sense of elapsed time, but it also re-enforces the theme of isolation and alienation portrayed in the film. By using dissolving transitions the shots seem to act as an hourglass, the shots come together even when they have different time aspects, the usage of impossible match on actions shots display the need to connect the shots even though they pass …show more content…
This sensation of alienation, isolation and confusion is increased as the screen fades in from black while “The Sounds of Silence” sung by Simon and Garfunkel. The fade from black, in shot one ultimately allows for the audience to grasp upon the idea that time would not be in “real time”; the need to let the audience know that Benjamin as well as the other characters displayed in the scene, Mrs.Robinson, Mr. and Mrs.Braddock (William Daniels, Elizabeth Wilson), were not being shown in a proper time frame served as a bridge in order to re-establish how Benjamin was lost in means of his future. Benjamin's parents seems to be living in real life time, as we see them continue their “normal” lives, but the emphasis on Benjamin’s four similar locations displays to the audience how he seems to stuck in an route of familiarity due to his fear or the