In Girlhood (2014), Marieme (Karidja Touré) faces a question of personal identity. Troubled by poor academic performance and an abusive older brother, Marieme joins an all-girl gang to define herself and her individuality through petty crime, alcohol, and violence, as well as love and camaraderie. Throughout the film, one of the major themes present is how characters are influenced by and subsequently emulate the violent and immoral behavior of others. A victim of domestic violence, Marieme distances herself from her family and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But in finding her own strength, she becomes violent herself and, in turn, sees her own immoral actions mirrored by those of her younger sister. This theme is supported by Girlhood's use of framing and shot length. Additionally, the film uses similarly colored clothing to portray parallels between the characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay After Marieme's gang leader Lady (Assa Sylla) loses a fight to Caidy (Nina Mélo), Marieme challenges Caidy to a fight. In this scene [00:58:35 - 01:00:31], Marieme wins the fight, gaining the respect of her gang and finally becoming a dominant member. She has proven herself powerful and convinces her friends to become a dominant member of the gang, and not follow her as she had been before. But contrary to the transformative and empowering nature of this scene for Marieme, the cinematography favors Caidy, focusing on the painful impact of her actions. The sequence begins with a moving medium shot of Marieme, making her way through the crowd towards her friends. The movement is shaky, and remains shaky even after briefly focusing on Marieme and her friends as she reveals she set up the fight. The wild camera movement that continues throughout the sequence makes the scene more action-packed, which makes both the fighting and the emotions more intense. Marieme's vibrant blue sweatshirt stands out against the pale tones behind her. The camera then pans to follow Marieme and reveals Caidy, wearing a matching denim shirt, who is framed wide as Marieme faces her closely on screen right. The vibrant shirts create contrast with the neutral palette behind them, drawing the viewer's attention and portraying them with equal status. The next shot is wider and shows only Marieme in profile again. The camera shakily follows her, rotating as Caidy enters the frame, with the crowd of girls standing behind them. This long sequence contrasts with the frenetic editing style that follows: as the girls begin to fight, the camera zooms in closer, swinging more wildly as Caidy attacks Marieme. The contrast in rhythm creates two tones: first a slow build-up of tension and then a chaotic explosion. The next edit is choppy, the girls pushing Marieme back into the fight even though she isn't seen falling. Then the camera pans back to the fighters, framing them parallel to the camera as they pull each other's hair. He cuts past Caidy's shoulder, pushing forward as she attacks and kicks Marieme, and rotates to show her face as she lets out a battle cry. The fast and choppy nature of the cuts makes it difficult for the viewer to fully discern what is happening. . This is accentuated by the fact that the girls are dressed similarly, so it's easy to lose track of who's who. Because the previous shots depicted and moved Marieme, the viewer is oriented to.