One of the most brilliant and daring techniques used in the cinema is breaking the fourth wall. Traditionally, the fourth wall stands as an imaginary barrier between the fictional universe on screen and the audience — a secret only known to the latter. The convention has its roots in theater, long before the birth of the cinema. To break the fourth wall means to cross a boundary, allowing the characters on screen to reach out to the public and engage with them.
In these rare moments, the characters acknowledge the presence of the audience as well as their fictionality. By challenging these conventions, the directors grant their characters a unique awareness and agency. Such scenes are particularly powerful because they create a shared intimacy between the protagonists of two realities that would otherwise never meet. Because of their unconventional premises, however, these moments have to be used thoughtfully.
10Annie Hall (1977)
Directed By Woody Allen
Woody Allen has always used his voice in an explicit and personal manner. His movies often appear as an attempt to speak directly to the audience, sharing his philosophy and core beliefs.Annie Hall, one of Allen’s most renowned masterpieces, brings this classical approach a step forward in one particular scene that defied any limit imposed by the screen. After hearing a particularly obnoxious character loudly discussing media theory while waiting in line at the cinema, Alvy Singer, played by Allen, turns to the camera to express his frustration.
The inventive brilliance of the moment lies in the inclusion of other two characters: the target of Alvy’s exasperation who attempts to defend himself against the man’s attack, and the real-life media theorist Marshall McLuhan, who helps Alvy win the debate. The moment ends with Allen revealing to the audience how he wished reality was like this, sadly recognizing the fictional nature of the situation and allowing the public into his mind.
9Fight Club (1999)
Directed By David Fincher
As the unreliable narrator of the surrounding events, Edward Norton’s character accompanies the audience through his absurd journey of self-discovery during the movieFight Club. His character constantly addresses the audience, attempting to create a shared experience with them as well as explaining the nuances and complexities of his alter-ego, Tyler Durden.
However, as the story progresses, the narrator’s mental state appears to deteriorate, leading him to gradually lose his grip on reality. The public is drawn deeper into his psyche but begins to question the truthfulness of Norton’s voice. By blurring the lines between reality and fiction both as a plot twist and as a cinematic device, the audience becomes part of the story.Fight Clubbreaks the fourth wall in a striking way, leaving audiences to wonder about what is real and what is not.
Directed By Alfred Hitchcock
As the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock knew how to end his movies on a chilling note, creating a sense of closure to his disturbing stories yet ensuring they would stay with audiences after the credits roll. For this reason, the concluding scene ofPsychois one of the most ingenious finales in the history of cinema. The way Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates breaks the fourth wall and dares a hint of a smile at the audience is brilliant.
The build-up to the scene further accentuates its geniality. The awaited reveal of the true story of Norman and his mother is shocking because of the absurdity of the situation and terrifying because of the nature of Norman’s psychology. As Norman’s actions and the reasons that prompted them are so disturbing, Hitchcock plays with emotional reactions. The director gives his character the agency to confront the upset public and brings them with a simple stare into the haunting depth of Bates' disturbed psyche.
7Amélie (2001)
Directed By Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Amélieis the story of a deeply fascinating and lovable character played by Audrey Tautou, whose quirks and innocence are the centerpiece of it all. Despite the playful undertones, there is a melancholic side to Amélie’s character, emphasized by her loneliness and detachment from the world. Although Tautou’s character is often silent as the story unfolds, her way of interacting with the audience is worth more than any other long monologue.
By breaking the fourth wall, Amélie brings viewers into her whimsical reality, opening up with the audience as if they were her confidants. This technique allows the character to defy her loneliness and interact with the outside world, instead of the reality where she lives. If her eccentric nature prevents her from creating a connection with the people around her, by reaching out beyond the screen, she develops a bond with the audience.
6The Big Short (2015)
Directed By Adam McKay
The Big Shortis not an easy journey. The story of the 2007-2008 financial crisis is an interesting area to explore on the big screen, yet it might come across as too complex to digest in two hours. This is especially true if the viewer does not have an extensive knowledge of terms such as “subprime mortgages” or “bonds.” As a consequence, the director needed to come up with a creative way to address the audience and walk them through the finer points of the story.
The decision to include beloved celebrities in an everyday setting to directly interact with and guide the audience was a brilliant idea. By breaking the fourth wall and adopting an ironic approach,The Big Shortused stars like Margot Robbieto successfully explain in an entertaining and approachable manner the intricacies of economic concepts.
5Funny Games (1997)
Directed By Michael Haneke
As a psychological thriller that tells the story of two young men brutally tormenting a family through physical torture and psychological manipulation,Funny Gamesis a profoundly unsettling movie. The ability of one of the two leading characters, Paul, interpreted by Arno Frisch, to constantly break the fourth wall and stare deeply into the camera adds to it and sends chills down the spine.
Arno’s character breaks the fourth wall five times throughout the entire movie, often knowingly smirking at the audience. These moments are not simply there to accentuate the unsettling atmosphere of the story. On the contrary, Paul appears eager to include the viewers in his twisted games as well, investing them not with just terror but also a sense of complicity and therefore responsibility for the abhorrent events unfolding before their passive eyes.
4Deadpool (2016)
Directed By Tim Miller
Similar to his comic book counterpart, starting in the movie that came out in 2016,Deadpoolregularly breaks the fourth wall and ironically interacts with the audience. Portrayed by Ryan Reynold, the character differs from the classical archetype of superheroes in both comics and films through his crude humor and the unusually violent and brutal context surrounding him.
Deadpool acknowledges his fictionality by addressing the camera and further accentuates his revolutionary status, imbuing him with a unique self-awareness that sets him apart from many Marvel characters. These moments of recognition allow him to create an intimate connection with an audience eager to embark on the absurd and adventurous journeys of superheroes. This approach defies the trope of the unapproachable hero, helping Deadpool to become one of the most entertaining Marvel figures but also an unusually relatable character.
3Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Directed By John Hughes
It is easy to fall for the magnetic and playful charm of Ferris Bueller, as Matthew Broderick successfully managed to attract the audience with his mischievous demeanor. WhenFerris Bueller’s Day Offoriginally came out, in 1986, it was not common to have a character constantly breaking the fourth wall throughout an entire movie. As Ferris addresses the camera to let the audience into his inner thought processes and observations, his role alternates between leading character and narrating voice.
This lets the viewers sympathize with him and offers an authentic portrayal of the teenage experience. Ferris' openness as he breaks the fourth wall creates an emotional intimacy and a sense of fellowship with the audience. This technique, at the time innovative and unexplored, allowed Broderick’s character to earn his status as a defiant and young anti-hero, not dissimilar to a legendary character from literature, Holden Caufield, inCatcher in the Rye.
2The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
Directed By Martin Scorsese
Jordan Belfort is not an easy character to sympathize with, far from the traditional archetype of the noble-hearted hero. Nevertheless, Martin Scorsese successfully helped the audience create an emotional connection with the controversial leading character ofThe Wolf of Wall Street. If Leonardo DiCaprio’s exceptional performance played a significant part in it, his opportunity to constantly break the fourth wall was also an influencing factor. By regularly addressing the audience as the story unfolds, DiCaprio captures their interest.
Breaking the fourth wall does not allow Belfort to justify his actions and present himself in a more positive light. However, the technique sheds light on the inner world of the character, bringing an honesty and authenticity that it is hard not to appreciate. The brilliance of these moments lies in how Scorsese brings the audience into a story of moral ambiguity.
1A Clockwork Orange (1972)
Directed By Stanley Kubrick
In a similar fashion toPsycho, Kubrick allows the leading character, Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, to disrupt the fourth wall inA Clockwork Orangeas a way to emphasize the disturbing themes in the movie. However, in this case, the director chooses a completely different approach in timing to let the public into the story. Instead of waiting until the end for the character of Alex to invite the audience in, the movie opens with McDowell staring directly into the screen.
Alex offers a chilling smile to the public, setting a terrifying stage for what is about to happen. Through a brief yet piercing stare, Alex shares a glimpse of his twisted psyche with the viewers as a warning (or a promise) of the disturbing experience they are about to embark on.A Clockwork Orangebreaks the fourth wall in an unsettling, brilliant way, long before many modern movies that successfully did the same.
