The Use of Mirrors


So many scenes with mirrors in this movie. Obviously the one with the shimmering mirror when Marina is in the blue dress stands out but there were lots of other scenes involving mirrors. Why so many mirrors? Does it show that Marina is still finding her identity? Or perhaps she knows it and it's the rest of the world struggling to see her identity?

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There's definitely a mirrors/reflection motif going on and another one with Marina + punching bags (not metaphorical ones but literal punching bags, like the one in her apartment), which I assume helps reinforce her assertive and resilient side.

I would say the mirrors throughout the film definitely deal with identity, like you say. When she is with Orlando and doing things she loves, she does not feel there's any inner crisis - she always asserts "I am Marina". She knows who she is, what she wants, and where's she's going. But when forced to engage with the crueler segments of society, she probably has those vulnerable moments where she feels "fragmented" and emotionally lost again.

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