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unfamiliar', (Smith M., 1995: 93). This occurs when restricted narratives stimulate viewers to
engage with the characters on an instinctive, emotional level. The presentation of Paul's
character appears designed to achieve this aim: to create what might be termed a retarded
recognition of the character's attributes and back history, while establishing an immediate
rapport between viewers and the character on an instinctive, emotional level. The film's first
images show Paul as he covers his ears and screams at a train which passes with a deafening
noise. The camera tracks him as he wanders the streets, talking to himself and gesturing in
dismay, his face unshaven and his eyes brimming with tears. This introduction of Paul's
character reflects Smith's discussion of 'those visual representations in which we are denied
all cues aside from those provided by facial expression and bodily posture', which he
considers to be effective in eliciting affective mimicry (Smith M., 1995: 101-102). Films such
as Partner and Tango share this kind of narration, which according to Smith elicits
'sympathetic (and antipathetic) responses towards characters undergoing experiences of
traumatic loss, violation, and self-questioning that few of us will have direct experience of,
and none in the precise configuration put forward by the narrative" (Smith M., 1995: 93-94).
Both films, through an initial emotional channel, elicit a form of imagination and insight from
viewers 'that fosters new perspectives on the social', (Smith M., 1995: 93-94) and an
understanding of societal contexts different from their own.
Although not as cryptic as Partner, Tango also features a restricted narration that
forces spectators to speculate about omitted narrative events, such as Paul and Jeanne's lives
prior to their encounter. The narration follows an internal focalization attached to Paul's
subjectivity and an external focalization attached to the director behind the camera. This is
revealed by the camera being positioned at floor level even when the characters are standing
up, or by other conspicuous positioning such as the high-angle shot that allows a complete
view of the action, as in the sodomization scene. Close-ups are alternated with medium shots
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