Exploring the Concept of Social Constructionism in "Nightcrawler"
In the 2014 movie Nightcrawler, written by Dan Gilroy, there are many sociological epistemologies and theories that can be represented in Lou’s, the main character, world and by the actions of the characters. The plot follows Lou Bloom, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, as he discovers and finds success in being an on site freelance photojournalist, more commonly known as a ringer. Ringers are people who record crime scenes as soon as they occur and then sell the footages to news channels. As the plot progresses, the dynamics between the characters and their relationships can be traced, and complexities can be analyzed into sociological themes. Represented in the film, examples supporting the Marxist Conflict Theory and the theory of Social Constructionism can be found.
Nightcrawler shows Lou’s progression and development as he becomes successful and the means in which he achieves his success. The movie begins by showing Lou doing odd jobs and making money but not having a steady job. From the few beginning scenes, the movie solidifies that he has a very entrepreneurial way of thinking, shown in the way he talks with others. Lou Bloom is also an ambitious character who is always trying to improve and go beyond. Due to this fact, soon after he decides to become a ringer, he buys more equipment and hires an assistant, Rick, played by Riz Ahmed. Lou and Rick begin to work faster and more efficient, allowing them to get to the crime scene earlier and getting a good recording. Lou forms a relationship with Nina, the news director of the particular news channel that he sells to. Lou becomes more and more twisted as he becomes more and more successful. He edits and manipulates the recordings to get the best shots. In addition to this, later in the movie, even when Rock was shot, Lou continued recording and even sold this tape to Nina. From these key points of the movie, both the Marxist Conflict Theory and the Theory of Social Constructionism can be observed and supported.
The Marxist Conflict Theory and Social Constructionism are two different sociological theories with two different foundations. The Marxist Conflict Theory underscores the role of economics and conflict between economic classes. It emphasizes that social order is maintained by domination, with power belonging to those with the greatest political, economic, and social resources. The Marxist Conflict Theory also stems from Marxist ideas of class division and class conflict. (Giddens 167) It focuses heavily on class divisions and the tensions between them as well as intentful conflict over power. Social Constructionism, also known as the Social Construct of Reality, is the process in which facts, knowledge, and truth, are discovered, made known, and altered by members of a society. What we believe is true and real is often altered and framed by members of society. Both of these theories can be observed in the plot of Nightcrawler.
The concept and use of power in Nightcrawler is very evident and can be categorized under the Marxist Conflict Theory. Lou sells recordings that Nina finds valuable. In the terms of economics, he has the supply, tape recordings, and she has the demand for it. In an intimate scene between the two of them, Lou leverages the fact that he has been selling these desirable recordings exclusively to her. As he gains power in the film, he abuses his power also. In these scenes, we can see just how much he abuses his power by demanding outrageous things from her beyond the business relationship. With his power, he threatens her, multiple times in the course of the whole movie, and Nina is left powerless and forced to comply.
This can be first observed in the scene in which Lou demands higher pay. He threatens Nina once more, and adds even more conditions that are only beneficial to him. Class divisions can also be blatantly noted in the movie, which is another key characteristic in the Marxist Conflict Theory. As Lou’s career as a ringer begins, he learns of the kinds of crimes that sell and are in demand. Crimes that would sell for higher and the stories that attract the most viewers and attention. When Lou brings in a recording of a crime in a lower class Hispanic neighborhood, Nina is furious. This is due to the fact that crimes in affluent white neighborhoods gain more views and attention, while those that occur in poorer minority communities are written off.
Another interaction between classes that further supports this theory is the dynamic between Lou and Rick. Between these two, Lou is the employer while Rick is the employee. Lou consistently exploits Rick, through underpaying him and treating him poorly. Throughout Nightcrawler, Lou constantly berates him and keeps him in the dark, while also exploiting him of his hard work for little pay. However, aside from this, the movie also can support Social Constructionism. Throughout the movie, we see how reality is framed and rewritten, first by Lou and then by those at the news station. In an earlier scene, Lou is at a car crash site and begins recording. However, in order to capture the moment better and get the best shot, Lou drags the body of the man in front of the car. This is a small manipulation, but Lou changed the scene of the crime. Later on, as he ventures into the house after the shooters flee, he records one man breathing. However, instead of helping the man, he keeps recording and afterwards, he cuts the clip. Reality is also altered and fed to the public by Nina and the news station. As the news team prepares to air the aforementioned clip, Nina begins telling the news anchors what to say. She tells them how to frame the clip and the whole situation. They relay these messages to the public, describing how the recorder, Lou, initially went in to assist. Another instance of constructing reality is towards the end of the movie, when a male coworker tells Nina that the home invasion was actual a drug robbery.
However, Nina says to “give it to the noon crew,” and that its “detracts from the story,” despite the fact that it is the story. She spins the story of a normal innocent family being killed by violent offenders to the public, despite the fact that this is far from the truth. This is what she wants the public to believe and doesn’t release the reality of the whole story. This is how reality is altered and manipulated by members of society. Although the Marxist Conflict Theory fits well and the movie has many economic and class struggles, the one that best fits the movie Nightcrawler is Social Constructionism.
The latter half of the movie really focuses and emphasizes on how the recordings are altered by Lou and how him changing the crime scene as well as editing the recordings affect what is reality. Social Constructionism is further emphasized by the news station. They are the ones who relay news and information to the public. In the movie, we see Nina altering that. They frame certain stories for the sake of more viewers. They push certain details and set up the different stories in any way they want to, which is often times not the full truth.
They make these edited truths known to the public. Another key instance that pushes me to lean towards this theory is when Nina refuses to release the information that the affluent family shooting was a proven drug attack instead of an urban crime. She has already created a whole setting and situation for the attack and believes that by making this new information known, it detracts from the story, despite the fact that this is the true context of the story. Nina refuses to detract from the virality of her original story. This blatant and obvious manipulation is why I believe Social Constructionism is the sociological theory most fitting for Nightcrawler. It shows all the ways in which information is altered and changed.
