Representation of Disability - Secret Diary of a Call Girl

At the beginning of this scene, the shot used is an over-the-shoulder shot when the call girl opens the door. Straight away, it is apparent that the girl who has no disability is superior to the boy in the wheelchair. The canted angle shows the audience that she is looking down on him as he is in a wheelchair. The look on her face makes the audience feel as though she may not be comfortable in the presence of a person with a disability, hence her fake smile. Looking at the two characters, it is clear by how they present themselves and the clothes they are wearing that they live different lifestyles.  A long shot shows she is wearing a lightly coloured dress, curled her hair and is wearing makeup which shows her femininity and the fact that females like to take care of themselves, especially in the presence of a male. The male on the other hand, enters the room wearing a fairly dull and boring t-shirt which gives the impression he doesn't care what he looks like, maybe due to the fact he does have a disability or foreshadowing something dark will occur.


A tracking shot is used when the characters move further into the room. There is a silence which shows the awkwardness occurring between the three characters. Following this, a mid-shot can be seen. As the mid-shot moves from the male with the disability, to the call girl, the audience can grasp that she seems uneasy and isn't sure what to say or do. She looks down on him as he is inferior to her.  The red walls give the feeling of love and sexual activity which in fact is the aim of the call-girl's job. He relies on his dad to lift him onto the bed, this agrees with the the stereotype that the disabled need help and are of charity. A long shot seems to focus the attention on the boy on the bed which highlights why he is there and gives the audience more sense of what is going to happen. The camera always seems to tilt down on the boy to show him of a lower level and tilt upwards on the call girl which makes her seem of higher importance.

When the call girl and boy are in bed, non-diabetic sound is apparent when they are there.  The dad is waiting in the car showing his protectiveness for his son. If he didn't have a disability, he probably wouldn't be waiting for him as his disability means he has less independence.