This document analyzes the use of symbolism and meaning in the films of director Nicholas Winding Refn. It discusses three scenes from Refn films to illustrate how every element, from dialogue to cinematography, is purposefully used to convey specific meanings. The first scene from Drive uses the positions of characters and dialogue to suggest the dark pasts and power dynamics between them. The second scene from Drive uses lighting and the main character's jacket to represent him as a "fallen angel" trying to redeem himself. The third scene from Only God Forgives depicts the civilians as obedient and mechanical to illustrate the severe and unforgiving universe of the film.

1. Semantics In Thriller
By Daniel Mallen

2. For many directors (especially for Nicholas Winding
Refn), when shooting a scene, every element
serves a purpose to get across a specific meaning-
be it through a miniscule object or obvious
cinematography. Therefore, when creating my film
trailer, I cannot simply shoot a scene without
having throughout about the purpose of
everything i.e. dialogue, mise-en-scene,
cinematography etc). Within the next few slides I
will analyse a few examples of these
representations.

3. “My Hands are a little dirty”- Bernie Rose
(Drive-2010)
This shot is highly metaphorical,
especially when considering the
roles/history of the characters.
During this shot the driver
(protagonist/anti-hero of the film)
when meeting Bernie Rose says
“my hands are a little dirty”, Bernie
replies with “so are mine”. This
dialogue is to suggest a dark, criminal past of the two characters.
Shannon‟s proximity in the middle of the shot is to suggest his moderation
between the two characters in their transaction of skills for money- with
Bernie situated higher in the shot than the driver to suggest his power
over him (monetary power), but the Driver is stationed on the left which
(conventionally would suggest power) would display his power of his
driving skillset.

4. Thanks for Staying-Standard
(Drive- 2010)
In this shot, the light (or Halo) is stations
fractionally away from Gosling to
represent the role he is trying to fulfill
but is struggling to become (the good
guy that looks after the girl). He cannot
become the guardian angel he wants
to be, therefore is represented as a
„fallen angel‟ who attempts to redeem himself by helping others. Another
element to this scene (and the whole film) is the use of the scorpion
jacket. The driver wears this jacket, in the way that a super hero would
wear a cape, whenever he goes out and he can be seen wearing it at
every critical moment of the film with it becoming ever more bloodied
and worn out as the story progresses.

5. Only God Forgives
(2013)
If you look at Only God Forgives’ Bangkok, you will see an extremely
severe universe where no one is allowed to make any mistake, either
one is a criminal, a policeman or a simple civilian. In this universe,
civilians are obedient — and thereby uninteresting: they are part of
the set, literally a human mural. The scene in which the Angel orders
Byron‟s cabaret women to close their eyes so that he can torture
Byron perfectly illustrates this picture of civilians: less than secondary
characters, they must stay absolutely mechanical; the cabaret
women close their eyes without saying a word and do not budge
during the whole torture scene, although the screams should be
unbearable. But this is the very aesthetic Refn chose for his movie‟s
background: calm and mechanical obedience, a clockwork universe
that doesn‟t look like ours, supported by a strong, static camera.