Badlands is a film of emptiness and of space. It also contains a dry sense of childishness, eerily juxtaposed with Kit’s violence. Through narration on Holly’s part, and showy charisma on Kit’s part, both characters attempt to live narratives they have constructed for themselves, a life of romance and crime. However, they are ultimately caught, indicating themes of the futility of trying to control one’s fate, as well as the inability to let go of childish ideas although one might try. This sense is presented not only through the narrative, but through the form, including both visual and sonic elements. Badlands uses mise-en-scene and sound to help convey themes of the futility of trying to make a mark on the world, and the naivety inherent…show more content… This setting is emphasized with empty contemplative shots as well as the use of long shot framing. The emptiness is always present, even when the characters are in the shot. This matches the hollow, emotionless attitudes of the characters. Having the characters literally be small in a frame filled with empty space emphasizes the idea that they are small in the world. It also makes their flight seem hopeless, which is epitomized by the shot of the mountain in the distance. The ghostly form of the mountain makes it clear that the goal of reaching it is unachievable. One cannot see two tiny characters in a broad prairie landscape and not understand that they are insignificant and that the adventure they have embarked upon is…show more content… Every piece of the mise-en-scene, every choice about sound, contributes to the creation of particular moods and characterizations. The detached, hollow feeling is constantly present in the bleak and empty settings, which are granted increased relative importance due to the loud ambient noise. Between ambience and empty shots, the characters are made insignificant in comparison to the world around them. However, the music, as well as the costumes and smaller-scale settings, reveals the childishly simplistic narratives the characters are attempting to construct. The whimsical choices of refuge, from a treehouse to a mansion, and the music-box like “Gassenhauer” theme, demonstrate a continuing naïve youthfulness, despite the characters’ repeated attempts to leave childish things behind. The world of the film has been meticulously crafted, and it is through these choices about mise-en-scene and sound that the themes of naivety and futility present in the narrative are carried out and made to resonate with the viewer long afterward, implicit in the lingering images of the stark prairie and the unshakeable light tune of