In Girlhood (2014), Marieme (Karidja Touré) is confronted with a question of identity. Troubled by poor academic performance and an abusive older brother, Marieme joins an all-female gang to define herself and her individuality through petty crime, alcohol and violence, as well as love and companionship. Throughout the film, a major theme present is how the characters are influenced and then imitate each other's violent and immoral behavior. A victim of domestic violence, Marieme moves away from home and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But in finding her own strength, she becomes violent herself and in turn sees her own immoral actions reflected by her younger sister. This theme is supported by Girlhood's use of framing and shot duration. Additionally, the film uses similar colored clothing to represent the parallels between the characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay After Marieme's gang leader Lady (Assa Sylla) loses a fight against Caidy (Nina Mélo), Marieme challenges Caidy in a fight. In this scene [00:58:35 - 01:00:31], Marieme wins the fight, gaining the esteem of her gang and ultimately becoming a dominant member. She has proven herself to be powerful and impresses her friends into becoming a dominant member of the gang, not a sidekick like she was before. But unlike the transformative and empowering nature of this scene for Marieme, the cinematography favors Caidy, focusing on the hurtful impact of her actions. The sequence begins with a moving medium shot of Marieme, walking through the crowd to her friends. The movement is fragile and remains fragile even after briefly focusing on Marieme and her friends as she reveals that she organized the fight. The wild camera movement that continues throughout the sequence makes the scene more action-packed, which makes the fights and emotions more intense. Marieme's bright blue sweatshirt stands out against the pale tones behind her. The camera then moves to follow Marieme and reveals Caidy, wearing a similar colored denim shirt, who is framed wide while Marieme faces her in close-up on screen right. The vibrant shirts contrast with the neutral palette behind them, drawing the viewer's eye and representing them with equal status. The next shot is wider and only shows Marieme in profile. The camera shakily follows her, rotating as Caidy enters the frame, the crowd of girls standing behind them. This long shot contrasts with the frenetic editing style that follows: as the girls fight, the camera moves closer to them, swinging more wildly as Caidy attacks Marieme. The contrast in rhythm creates two tones: first a slow build in tension, then a chaotic explosion. The following montage is discontinuous, the girls push Marieme back into the fight even though we haven't seen her fall out. Then the camera cuts back to the fighters, framing them parallel to the camera as they pull each other's hair. He goes over Caidy's shoulder, diving in as she attacks and kicks Marieme, and pivots to show her face as she lets out a war cry. The rapid, discontinuous nature of the cuts makes it difficult for the viewer to fully discern what is happening. . This is accentuated by the fact that the girls are dressed the same, so it's easy to lose track of who is who. From the previous shots photographed and moved with Marieme, the viewer is oriented to identify with her in the fight. This frenetic style succeeds in immersing the viewer.