Narrative Techniques In Heathers

In the film Heathers, we meet the protagonist Veronica; who finds herself friends with the incredibly rude yet “popular” girls and on top of the social food chain. It is evident from the beginning of the film that Veronica is unhappy with her life and has a strong desire to bring about social justice amongst her peers. There are several different forms of narration used in Heathers. One of the first forms that is employed is through Veronica venting her feelings in her journal. As Veronica writes, there is a voice over that is speaking what she is writing with equal passion. This form of narration is also used at Heather’s funeral when Heather’s “friends” took turns kneeling at her casket and praying. As each individual prayed silently, there

Another instance where the plot creates ideas about the film’s diegesis is during the scene when Dean and Veronica are killing Kurt and Ram in the woods. After the second gun shot, the camera goes inside of a police car where two offers are smoking marijuana. This gives the idea that law enforcement are idiots and have no control. A third example of the plot creating ideas about the film’s diegesis is in the conversations youth have with authority figures. For example, the two conversations Veronica has with her parents on the back porch are nearly identical. This shows that in the film’s world parents and other figures of authority are morons and are not given respect at all. The film’s narration creates the idea of the stupidity of popularity while advocating for the social justice amongst peers in a high school setting. The story of the film is told through the actions of Veronica as she tears apart the social hierarchy at her school through a series of murders which leads to putting her on top of the social ladder. After this, Veronica befriends Martha Dunstock. By doing so, she destroys the social hierarchy at her school, bringing social justice to all