An Analysis of the Narration of Quentin Tarantino’s Movie Go

"Jean-Luc Godard once said that every movie must have a beginning, a middle and an end- but not necessarily in that order. Tarantino's scripts seem inspired by that notion, and the same goes for Go, which begins at one key point in its story, backtracks to fill in details, then throws in the perspective of other characters." Although many reviews of this movie compare it to Pulp Fiction in its style and sequencing, Go's creative script and unique style of narration allow it to stand on its own. Distributing the plot information through four main narrators, the viewer is able to partake in a more unrestricted and comprehensive version of the story.

The first scene of the movie opens in medias res, leaving the viewer uncertain of the characters identities or the significance of their relationship. The viewer later learns that the first narrator that the viewer is introduced to is Claire, a young woman with dark hair and large eyes. She delivers a monologue about Christmas and the element of the surprise gift to an unknown person. The notion of surprises possibly alludes to the fact that the movie is shot out of sequence and the viewer is surprised to learn what is coming next.

The second narrator introduced to the audience is Ronna, a young supermarket cashier trying to earn enough rent money to avoid being evicted from her apartment. She reluctantly agrees to take on another extra shift for fellow supermarket employee, Simon, so that he may go to Las Vegas with his friends. He offers her cash up front as an incentive and to pay her rent debt. At this point in the film, the narration is completely objective, as the viewer has not been given any insight into Ronna's personality or mental state. The camera focuses almost entirely on Ronna and her actions; therefore, the viewer is offered a very minimal amount of point-of-view shots that allow the audience to relate to how the character is feeling or thinking. The viewer can see Ronna's actions, as well as how she is feeling; however, the cinematography does not allow them to actually feel what she is feeling as the point-of-view is very limited. The depth of knowledge is restricted, and the viewer does not learn of any additional information until Ronna learns it. The narration is also restricted, placing both the viewer and Ronna on the same level in the hierarchy of knowledge.

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As the viewer watches Ronna, they continue to be introduced to various characters, including Manny, a fellow employee, and Zack and Adam, two men who ask Ronna to fill in for the absent Simon and hook them up with the drug ecstasy. Although Ronna has never dealt drugs, she agrees in order to make some much-needed cash. She gets the drugs from Simon's dealer, Todd, and agrees to meet Adam and Zack at their house to complete the deal. In the scene, Ronna picks up on several inconsistencies in Adam and Zack's stories, and suspecting that this may be a drug bust, she excuses herself to the bathroom and flushes the ecstasy down the toilet. Throughout Ronna's narration, we see several nondiegetic interjections in which the viewer is able to experience first-hand Manny's hallucinations from taking ecstasy. The scenes are mentally subjective, as they are shown entirely from Manny's point-of-view. The film then continues with a restricted narration until the climax of Ronna's narration sequence, when a yellow Miata at the rave hits her and throws her body into a ditch. She is left in the rain cold and bleeding. The viewer does not know of her condition or what will happen to her next.

The next segment the viewer sees is the exact same scene in which Simon begs Ronna to cover his supermarket shift. The scene is completely recreated, however, this time, the camera noticeably has shifted its focus to Simon and his actions. The viewer sees Simon giving Ronna the money for her rent, but this time the camera lingers on Simon's face instead of Ronna's face. For a moment, the movie switches to an unrestricted narrative style up until the point until Ronna accepts the money from Simon. Because the viewer has already witnessed this scene played out, Ronna's emotions and actions a more fully understood.

The next sequence that occurs is that of Simon and his adventures in Las Vegas. The viewer is again thrown back into the restricted narrative style, as the viewer does not know what will happen next. There is only one scene in Simon's narrative that cross-links it to other narratives. In a scene in which Simon calls his drug-dealing buddy Todd, (whom the viewer has already met in Ronna's narrative) both Simon and the viewer realize the time and place in which the call has occurred. In Ronna's narrative, Claire unwillingly stays at Todd's apartment as collateral for the additional money Ronna owes Todd for the ecstasy he dealt her that she intends to sell to Adam and Zack. Claire tells Todd that they are planning on going to a rave later that night, and he responds by quoting a line from the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club, "Are you a virgin? Just answer the question Claire." It is apparent that both parties do not want to be in each other's company. A phone conversation takes place in which the viewer is present in the room with Todd and Claire. This time, the viewer is on the other side of the phone conversation with Simon. This brief moment is key in tying in previous scenes and helps to keep the movie flowing in one direction. Simon's narrative is important as it sets up future events in other characters' narratives.

As narration four begins, the viewer once again sees the scene in which Simon and Ronna are coming to their agreement over the supermarket shift. This time, however, the attention is shifted to a television set behind Claire. On the television set is a tacky soap opera starring two men that we recognize from earlier - Adam and Zack.

The viewer then sees the two actors in a small room being outfitted with microphones and wires as they reiterate their deal with a policeman - if they help him to bust this drug deal, he will erase minor charges from their records. It now becomes apparent that the earlier scene involving Ronna, Zack and Adam was, in fact, a sting operation. This is an essential turning point in the film, because it is the first time that the viewer actually knows more than the main characters, especially Ronna. There is a shift in the hierarchy of knowledge, and the viewer is placed in an unrestricted view of the upcoming scene. As the scene at Adam and Zack's house replays for the viewer, once again the camera has shifted focus to the narrators, Adam and Zack.

This time, however, there are many more point-of-view shots as the viewer can clearly see Ronna as seen by Adam and Zack. The viewer is also introduced to several elements that were not apparent in Ronna's narration of the same scene. The most significant of these elements would be the action that convinced Ronna that the deal was not an ordinary drug deal. As Ronna excuses herself to go to the bathroom, Zack clearly whispers one ubiquitous word in her ear, "go." At this point, the camera is focused on both Zack and Ronna, and the viewer is restrictedly watching this part of the scene unfold for the first time. The viewer does already know what happens next, and as Ronna leaves the house, the viewer is once again placed in the position of knowing as much as several of the characters.

Eventually all parties (excluding Simon in Las Vegas) end up at Mary X-mas, a rave in Los Angeles. Here several scenes are played out through both Ronna and Adam and Zack's narrative. The viewer learns that the yellow Miata that hit Ronna belongs to Adam and that they left her for dead in the ditch to avoid any further troubles with the law. The depth of knowledge here is restricted. Although the scene has been played several times, each time it is shown, new elements are added to give the viewer a complete understanding of the story. The story resolves itself with Adam and Zack going back to help Ronna, laying her badly inured body across a van and watching as some of the rave kids call 911. The viewer sees Claire waiting for Ronna by their car to no avail, as well as a brief shot of Ronna lying in a hospital bed. The camera does not focus on any characters emotions or point-of- view, instead it only focuses objectively on the character's actions.

As the story comes full circle, the viewer once again is placed in a position of unrestricted knowledge as the narration element returns to Claire. She walks into a coffee shop and sees Todd sitting alone. Joining him at his table, she again repeats her monologue about Christmas surprises. The viewer can now understand what she means when she voices her surprise at the fact that they are sitting in a coffee shop together, "I'm not saying it's anything it's not, but come on. This time yesterday who would have thunk it (Go 1999). The viewer has now gotten the complete story based on the separate plots centered on each character.

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