The Surprises of Life

The Surprises of Life

The Surprises of Life
By Terri Hummel
English 208
Sec. W01
Instructor: Mr. Michael Johnson
February 23, 2009









The Surprises of Life

Life is full of surprises. Without them, existence would be, quite frankly, boring. The surprise could be as pleasant as your new love interest sending you flowers. The surprise could be as life altering as that same significant other asking for your hand in marriage. Surprises can lead to suspicion, like finding another person’s lipstick on your husband’s collar while doing the laundry. This same suspicion, which came out of surprise, often times lead to suspense. Is he cheating? Who is she? How long has it been going on? What does she have that I do not? Did I force him into the arms of another? Am I overreacting? This suspense, born of suspicion, which was born of surprise, is one of the cornerstones of a great thriller. In the film Dead Again, director Kenneth Branagh generates this suspense with the effective use of foreshadowing, red herrings, and plot twists that keep the audience engaged in a story of mystery and deceit through to the very end.
Foreshadowing is the implantation of small clues, or surprises, within a thriller that point to the truth revealed later. Two examples of this are found within the simple, three word statements made by both Mike Church (played by Kenneth Branagh) and Grace (performed by Emma Thompson). When waking from one of her recurring nightmares, Grace shouted “Somebody help me!”   This phrase is later revealed to be the exact words that Roman Strauss (also played by Kenneth Branagh) yelled when he discovered his the mutilated body of his wife, Margaret (also performed by Emma Thompson). Similarly, Mike was found repeating the statement, “I’m not Roman!” throughout the movie – a sentence that was shown to be accurate through a surprising plot twist later in the film. More examples of foreshadowing could be seen in the décor of both Mike’s and Grace’s...