Falling Down

The opening scene of Falling Down gives the viewer the impression that both D-Fens and Prendergast are stuck in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. The camera concentrates mainly on the vehicles and their occupants rather than on where they are located. The scene is appropriately described as a “frozen tumult of a traffic jam[3]”, which clearly gives an idea of what the scene looked like exactly. There is a short glimpse of what appears to be the underside of a bridge as well as of a billboard with graffiti on it, suggesting that, in the very least the location depicted is in, or at least very close to a city.

The view is rather abruptly changed to that of a quiet and peaceful neighborhood with a nearby shoreline. While not seeming to be anything special and being most likely an average middle-class location, the sudden shift back to D-Fens' new whereabouts quckly shows the viewer the enormous difference of the two places. The film at this point shows, by revealing it rat...