Earlier in the semester, Scott McCloud taught us that protagonists in comic strips are made with few details, almost as a blank slate, so that the reader will identify with them at times, even casting themselves as the comic character. The more defined the look of the character, the easier it becomes to view them as Other.

This past weekend I watched Todd Haynes’ 1995 film, “Safe”. Never before had I watched a film that so vehemently refused to sculpt its main character in any way. Carol, the protagonist, is almost affect-less throughout the entire film. Both her physical appearance as well as her interiority are not much more than a blank slate. She remains pretty expressionless throughout the whole film and her wardrobe is completely indistinct. Additionally, the audience gains no insight into her thoughts, her rationality, her inner life. As a character, she is empty.