Sexuality in fingersmith

1. Chelsea Howsin:
Media: How is sexuality presented in OCR Clip?
Terminology
Examples
Explanation/Analysis
The shot opens with 2 women standing in front of a mirror. The mise-en-scene used,
the mirror alludes to this conception of vanity, suggesting this conception that
homosexual women care a lot about their appearance.
This sequence continues with the 2 women standing in front of the mirror, the
homosexual woman behind the heterosexual woman, the position of the individuals
suggest that homosexual women have to hide. The use of facial expressions and
type of camera shot adds to this idea of sexuality. The heterosexual woman is
presented as open and warm, this is conveyed through happy and smiling facial
expressions. Whereas the homosexual woman is presented as cold and reserved this
too is conveyed through bold, wide eyes and a blank stare. The bold eyes and the
blank stare suggests the obsession and possession homosexuals may have. The shot
opens with a medium shot of both women. The camera pans horizontally into a close
up shot showing the homosexual woman’s facial expressions clearly, allowing the
audience to distinguish the point above.
Editing techniques are used, such as cross dissolve. This is used to dissolve from the
bedroom shot to the garden shot, as this dissolve takes place the music changes. The
use of the cross dissolve allows the audience to establish the change in music. The
non-diegetic sound of the string instrument symbolises romance and love suggesting
what the homosexual woman may be feeling. The cross dissolve takes place and the

2. Chelsea Howsin:
Media: How is sexuality presented in OCR Clip?
music change is more dynamic and harsh, which could relate to the stereotype that
homosexuals are like predators.
In the garden shot 2 eye-line matches are used, this allows the audience to see what
the homosexual woman is looking at and also what the heterosexual man is looking
at. I believe the directors have used 2 eye-line matches to convey 2 representatives
of sexuality. We infer that the homosexual woman is in love we know this due to the
eye-line match and the love connotations of the colour red. The close up shot used
as shown in the screenshot below, capturing the intense look on the homosexual
woman’s face, the camera also captures her eyes flicker as if she can’t control her
homosexual thoughts and pleasure for the other woman. After this shot, another
eye-line match is used for the heterosexual male, this establishes him realising her
thoughts in image 2 and his reactions to homosexuality. Image 3 captures the
piggish, conventional male behaviour as he gropes her face and arm, it also suggests
that heterosexuals believe that homosexuality isn’t normal and is wrong.

3. Chelsea Howsin:
Media: How is sexuality presented in OCR Clip?
Finally in the shot behind the tree the camera pans down as the heterosexual man
moves down the homosexual woman’ body, removing the male gaze, as
conventional the camera would pan up, suggesting that this is filmed from a
homosexual perspective, inferring that all conventions of homosexuality are
subverted throughout the scene. When the camera pans down and the heterosexual
man slowly pulls off the homosexual woman’s glove and begins to lick hear hand, the
slowness of the shot creates this awkwardness and tension between the characters
and the audience. Suggesting the way people feel when witnessing homosexual
behaviour. However a mid shot is used and cuts off the woman’s head sexually
objectifying her, displaying this conventional perspective of male heterosexuals.