THE ANALYSIS OF NARRATIVE STRUCTURE AND FILM LANGUAGE OF DENIS VILLENEUVE’S FILMS
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This research article aims to: 1) examine the narrative structure of Denis Villeneuve’s mature science-fiction films; 2) analyze the key features of film language that shape viewers’ cognition and emotion; and 3) explain how narrative design and audiovisual strategies interact to produce a consistent authorial signature across different texts. This study conducts a qualitative research study using textual analysis. The data are drawn from four films directed by Denis Villeneuve between 2016 and 2024: Arrival (2016), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Dune (2021), and Dune: Part Two (2024). The analysis is guided by a two-part instrument focusing on narrative elements (character trajectories, conflict structure, themes, and narrative complexity) and film language (cinematography, color systems, sound design, and editing rhythm).
The research results found that:
(1) Villeneuve’s narratives repeatedly organize protagonists around identity disruption and ethical pressure, using layered conflicts that connect institutional power, ecological threat, and intimate relationships.
(2) His film language is characterized by restrained cinematography, low-saturation palettes, atmosphere-driven soundscapes, and patient editing, which collectively amplify uncertainty and moral tension rather than relying on spectacle alone.
(3) Across the four films, narrative structure and film language function as mutually reinforcing systems, producing a recognizable pattern of “controlled complexity” that keeps large-scale world-building emotionally legible through intimate stakes.
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