I’m a real fan of subtlety. One of film’s greatest strengths is its ability to present intense contextual meaning visually, that is, without words. Great script writing like so many other art forms relies on the negative space, the time in between major milestones and the manipulation of silence.

In Tony Gillroy’s 2007 Michael Clayton, George Clooney does a fantastic job of portraying an inner struggle non-verbally in a scene set in the early morning on top of a hill. Near the climax of the film, he’s drawn out of his car while driving out in the country by something the audience cannot see. We assume that he saw something significant, but we don’t know what.

He strolls up towards three still horses and he proceeds to have a conversation. Granted, no words are exchanged but he exhibits all the reflexes of a conversation. He nods his head, looks away and looks back, shrugs his shoulders as if the horses were revealing all the truths to him about his situation.

The audience knows the context – he has financially just made it through a really tough break, his friend has just died / murdered, he feels lost – and we can infer what’s going through his head. We do not need to be told.

Galloping horses are typically representative of a running train of thoughts – an disquieted mind – and yet here, the horses are calm at the break of dawn. They create a perfect foil and grounding for Clayton’s chaotic mind and the peace it seeks.

Person to self via animal non-verbal communication.

Tags: film