Sabrina Green Mercado

COMA 4187-002
Dr. Dorian Lugo Bertrán

Glass Onion: A Cliché Murder Mystery Turned a Masterpiece

Glass Onion (2022) is a movie drenched with different stories that has you on the edge of

your seat. Made by director Rian Johnson, Glass Onion (2022) is a beautiful murder mystery

filled with establishing shots and a thrilling cast of unique characters. This film tells the story of

a friend group called “The Disruptors”, the leader being Miles Bron. Miles Bron is a genius

billionaire who invites his friends to his private island to solve the mystery of his murder. The

movie exposes the prejudice the viewers have and in a subtle way tell us that we are wrong, we

are looking at the wrong thing. The cinematography plays an important part in tricking the

viewer into getting to the wrong conclusions, with some obvious camera tricks and special

techniques that great directors like Hitchcock used. What I want to highlight in this essay is how

the film creators, as a team, transformed this movie into a great story using excessive close ups,

precise music scores, and unique characters.

The very first scene of the movie exposes the clear center of the onion, with Johnson’s,

and director of photography Steve Yedlin, clever close ups of the puzzle box we see each

character’s personality shine through. This whole scene of the main characters solving the puzzle

box with a score composed by Nathan Johnson, gives you a feel for what’s about to come. Every

action the characters take in that scene is a clear reflection of who they are and what they

contribute to the group. “When the film close-up strips the veil of our imperceptiveness and

insensitivity from the hidden little things and shows us the face of objects, it still shows us man,

for what makes objects expressive are the human expressions projected onto them.” (Balázs,

1985, p. 257). This quote expresses exactly what this sequence of shots is trying to convey. The

object being the puzzle box is a mirror into each personality of the characters and thanks to the
Sabrina Green Mercado
COMA 4187-002
Dr. Dorian Lugo Bertrán
different close ups we get of them solving each piece, it creates this beautiful scene of just the

exposition. “Sound-recording is a two-edged invention, and it is most probable that its use will

proceed along the line of least resistance, i.e., along the line of satisfying simple curiosity.”

(Eisenstein, Pudovkin, Alexandrov, 1949, p. 258). Fugue in G minor, this simple musical puzzle

shapes the entire course of this movie. It’s there when the movie starts and when the characters

solve it in the puzzle box by pulling up the center of the box, changing it to discover more

puzzle. In the words of Lionel, one of the characters in the film: a whole new tune. Eisenstein

explains that sound-recording will go through a long path of reinvention and transformation. In

Glass Onion (2022), it’s shown repeatedly how a simple song can form the entire structure an

idea of said movie.

“Facial expression is the most subjective manifestation of man, more subjective even than

speech, for vocabulary and grammar are subject to more or less universally valid rules and

conventions, while the play of features, as has already been said, is a manifestation not governed

by objective cannons, even though it is largely a matter of imitation” (Balázs, 1985, p. 257). In

the second part of the movie, it is revealed that Miles killed Andi, his friend and partner of

Miles’s tech company, and that gives us a new perspective when Miles sees “her”, Hellen, on the

island. At first, we could perceive that he was shocked, but it was easy to dismiss that given he

took the company from Andi months prior. Now we see that his reaction is pure confusion

because he killed her a few weeks ago. With the new information the audience sees the same shot

while experiencing a different reaction towards it. “A multitude of close-ups can show us the

very instant in which the general is transformed into the particular. The close-up has not only

widened our vision of life, it has also deepened.” (Balázs, 1985, p. 255). This movie is filled

with close-ups, from the beginning to then end. Some specific shots that help the film are the
Sabrina Green Mercado
COMA 4187-002
Dr. Dorian Lugo Bertrán
Mona Lisa shutting with a loud sound, the faxing machine, the lighter, etc. These are all close-

ups that the filmmakers use to up the tension in the movie mixed in with a little but of comedy by

adding a random element, like the fax machine. These sudden outbursts of little shots combined

with the violins in the climax of the movie make for a very dramatic ending to Miles Bron.

“The affirmation of montage, as the chief means of effect, has become the indisputable

axiom on which the world-wide culture of the cinema has been built.” (Eisenstein, Pudovkin,

Alexandrov, 1949, p. 257). The montage is incredibly important in this movie, not only was it

filmed on location, but the creation of the glass onion was a big part that could not be left out.

Everything about the island was equipped so that you could feel the luxury fall off the walls,

literally. The attention to detail on the paintings were great because they could include scenes

where Benoit Blanc was just bewildered by what he saw; including the infamous “Metis in the

bathroom” moment where we can see that, yes, Miles Bron was rich, but he wasn’t as nice as he

portrayed himself to be. The lighthouse, for me, is one of the staples of Glass Onion (2022),

especially when all the lights went out and the chase scene begun with the sudden light that came

from the lighthouse illuminating the island at certain moments. “But good close-ups radiate a

tender human attitude in the contemplation of hidden things, a delicate solitude, a gentle

bending over the intimacies of life-in-the-miniature, a warm sensibility. Good close-ups are

lyrical, it is the heart, not the eye, that has perceived them.” (Balázs, 1985, p. 256). The final

scene is where we see Helen destroy the image of Miles Bron and finally gets to sit down and

enjoy her revenge for her sister. This scene ends with Helen posing as the Mona Lisa, which is a

recurring theme throughout the film, is a beautiful moment where we can pause and appreciate

the length this woman went through to find out who killed her sister. In that moment we can hear

Miles’s description of the Mona Lisa in our heads while looking at the perfect close-up of Helen.
Sabrina Green Mercado
COMA 4187-002
Dr. Dorian Lugo Bertrán
Is she smiling? Is she sad? Angry? This ending was very satisfying because we get to see our

heroes win against the bad guy and see that Helen is not sorry for destroying the Mona Lisa at

all. This close-up is the most important of the entire film because it has all lead to this moment,

every puzzle, every question has led to this extravagant finale win which we see our heroes win.

In conclusion, this movie is filled with little marvels of mystery

and intrigue that could compel any viewer to give it a watch. It’s interesting to watch it again

having read the texts and pointing out the references or any other aspect of cinematography that a

could tell. Close-ups are a revolutionizing technic that, if it’s used well, could pull off some

cinema magic. It is truly amazing how you can tell a story using just the faces of actors or

different shots for scenes. This movie is one of those that you can never forget because it was

made so well thought out. There are very few movies where you can tell that not only the

director communicated with their team, but the film team as one contributed into the making of

this movie. With so many people making a movie like this one is no easy task, recruiting a cast

that can not only fill the image you, as a director, are trying to convey, but a cast that can

cooperate and help each other throughout the behind the scenes is difficult to find. Finally, the

making of this movie was very interesting to watch and reading while looking out for the

different shots or montage that is being used was a fun experience, one that I would like to

continue to practice, especially with this movie because it truly is a masterpiece.

Bibliografia:

Balázs, B. (1985). The Close-Up. En G. Mast & M. Cohen (Eds.), Film Theory and Criticism:

Introductory Readings (3ra ed., pp. 255-257). Oxford University Press.

Eisenstein, S., Pudovkin, V. y Alexandrov, G. (1949). A Statement on the Sound-Film. En J.

Leyda

(ed.). Film Form: Essays in Film Theory (pp.257-260). A Harvest/ HBJ Book.

Balázs, B. (1985). The Faces of Man. En G. Mast & M. Cohen (Eds.), Film Theory and

Criticism: Introductory Readings (3ra ed., pp. 257-264). Oxford University Press.