Dallas Buyers Club

 Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 drama directed by Jean-Marc Vallee. The film is centred on Ron Woodroof, a Dallas cowboy who is diagnosed with AIDS in the mid 1980’s. The film’s stand out points were its achievements in lighting and in makeup.

Makeup was a necessary and well executed aspect in this film. In order to achieve the look of an AIDS patient, Matthew McConaughey’s character Ron used thick white makeup to achieve a gaunt, skeletal look to his character. His cheekbones were contoured to make them look more visible and moustache and hair were made to look a deep black, which contrasted vividly to his skin colour. The makeup under his eyes was also extremely thick, to portray a sunken eyeball look. Cameras focus a lot on the eye area, which is why the eyes and cheekbones were so enhanced. (Bordwell & Thompson, 2012) This makeup worked to  realistically make him look like a sick person. Through this makeup, Ron realistically accomplished the look of an AIDS patient. However, the best achievement in makeup is that of Jared Leto’s character and the other transgender women in the rodeo. Leto’s Rayon is a transgender woman, and the look is achieved with bold eyeliner, blush, eyeshadow and lipstick. Despite this lurid makeup, thick foundation is also applied to Rayon’s skin, and dark shadows are placed under his eyes, giving him the same sick appearance as Ron. For the other transgender women, makeup helps to portray the feminine men realistically and respectfully.

The lighting in Dallas Buyers Club was very effective in setting the mood for the film. As the film dealt with heavy issues such as AIDS, sexuality and death, the lighting was often had a dark and gloomy feel to it. The beginning scenes contrasted Ron’s smoky, dark apartment with the sharp, bleak white of the hospital. The two lightings were very different, but were equally as uninviting. The lighting in these scenes is a hard sidelight (Bordwell & Thompson, 2012), focusing on Ron and highlighting his emaciated features. The scenes that follow are often lit by very dim lighting, giving each place a cheap and dirty feel to it.

However, in one of the last scenes of the film, Ron returns home heavy in defeat to a house full of his friends congratulating him on trying his best. The lighting is forefront lighting (Bordwell & Thompson) with no shadows and his bright and inviting, one of the few times for the film. The return of Ron as a hero is shown in the bright light and one of the first true smiles that Ron ever gives in the film.

This film dealt with the very important issues of acceptance, sickness and sexuality, with the main stand out’s of the film being its impressive use of both makeup and lighting.