How far do the films you have studied for this topic present similar messages and values?

     Both Natural Born Killers and Badlands create a stinging sense of realism through the messages and values embedded within the micro features of the films. One theme which runs throughout the Lovers on the Lam genre is the ideology that everyone desires fame, which became the basis of America particularly after The Great Depression. Within Badlands, the mise-en-scene of Kit mirrors James Dean, prominently implied in one mid-shot of the protagonist dressed in stylish denim hanging over a gun with a dusky pink background, as his body language reflects that of the iconic movie star's within Giant. This connection strengthened by Malick was perhaps due to the fact that the film's narrative is based upon the killing spree of Charles Starkweather and his lover, who also dressed like this star. By doing this, Malick conjures the value of The American Dream, whereby it corrupted people within the fifties into desiring fame to escape the monotony of life. The two protagonists Mickey and Mallory of Natural Born Killers furthermore represent this ideology, whereby Stone utilises a low angle shot of the lovers walking into the natural mise-en-scene alongside high key lighting to create an almost heavenly imagery of perfection, where the two could symbolise Adam and Eve within the Garden of Eden to show their high status and peace despite where this glorification stemmed from.

     However, the way in which within Stone's work the two lovers escaped the consequences of murder and violence contrasts against the equilibrium of Badlands, as Kit is sentenced to death. This emphasises the sheer contrast between the fifties and nineties, and how the media has monstrously grown within America to implant new messages into society. This satirical stab at the media is greatly incorporated within Natural Born Killers; for instance, within the ending, the editing warps Wayne Gale's face with an air of disorientation to represent the contorted perversion of the media, linking with the use of green lighting throughout the film to show how it has created a sense of sickness within our society. The values of violence also differ within the two films, whereby Stone's piece is a reel of blood and gore, and Malick uses an element of innocence to emphasise this contrast. For example, Holly's narration throughout the film is cold and detached to not only add a naive edge to her character, but to also create a modern fairytale like quality, which is a convention of this genre. This shows the confliction between the separate ages of the films, and how the surrounding society around the time shaped the social, historical and cultural context of the implanted messages and values.

     Furthermore, the showcase of gore is more dominating within Natural Born Killers, channeled for example through one motif which appears throughout the film of Mickey's face drenched in blood and facing the camera. Within this shot, he is almost breaking the fourth wall to satirically reach out to the audience as though this killer's morbid actions mirror our own glamorisation of this culture through the media and that we are all corrupted. Badlands, similarly, uses dry and endless locations within the mise-en-scene to represent how isolated society is from humanity with a basic and slow linear film, whilst a montage sequence of the two lovers in the news with a sepia tone also pokes fun at the media of the time. Despite the year gap between these two pieces, the ultimate message and value shredded into each film within each of its elements is that in reality there's no difference between shooting people and shooting film within our man-made world.