Post 8: On Fourth Wall Breaks
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’ve seen a lot of fourth wall breaks in comedy these last few years. Of course, this technique has been around for a while (does Twilight Zone count?), but it’s been incredibly noticeable lately.
The most recent fourth-wall-break movie that comes to mind is Netflix’s film Enola Holmes, starring Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister, Enola. Brown continuously looks into the camera to give the audience more background and to share her thoughts throughout the movie, as opposed to simple narration. Though I wouldn’t classify this as a comedy film through and through, the constant fourth wall breaks give this film the comic relief that it sometimes needs.
It was not a surprise to see, however, that the director of Enola Holmes, Harry Bradbeer, was also the director of Fleabag! That show is an incredible work of art. Phoebe Waller-Bridge truly is the queen of comedy right now, and should be for forever. But as must as her writing for Fleabag included these fourth wall breaks, it’s the effectiveness of the breaks that makes a difference. She uses them to display thoughts that could be used through a simple voice-over, yes, but there are specific scenes where fourth wall breaks are used in such a creative way that I wish I came up with it first. For instance, this scene (linked below) takes place in our protagonist’s (Waller-Bridge) guinea pig cafe that she used to run with her best friend, who has since passed away. She chats with her friend, a cool priest played by Andrew Scott, that she fancies and he sees something that… no one else sees.
After knowing that Harry Bradbeer was the director of this show as well as Enola, it is no surprise that the influences from Fleabag show in his film.
Also, I’d feel morally wrong to talk about fourth wall breaks without mentioning Deadpool and Deadpool 2. These movies, especially the first one from 2016, introduced me to this new world of comedy. I mean, I knew of these breaks before, but I only ever saw them in plays or in movies that never quite did so well in the box office. And of course I knew of them from The Twilight Zone, but that’s not usually done in a comedic way. So when I saw Deadpool for the first time, I thought it was A. spectacular, B. unlike anything I’d seen before, and C. the only time it would ever be pulled off effectively in a comedy. Clearly I had no idea what was in store.
Most often, though, I do see fourth wall breaks where the characters are more aware of the fact that they are in a movie, like in Modern Family, The Office, and other types of sitcoms. Those shows often use the talking-head-documentary format, and are in a different genre of comedy. I’m more of a fan of the films and shows where only one or two people are aware of their connection between them and the audiences, kind of like an “aside” in a play.
So this is where you come in, dear audience (if I have one other than Prof Dissinger, hiiii). I’d love to know of some films, tv shows, hell even commercials that follow this kind of format. I really want to be able to make a film using this technique someday, and the only way to know is to learn from those who came before! If you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them. If not, please enjoy this scene from Deadpool where he literally talks about breaking the fourth wall.
