Breaking the 4th Wall

The 4th wall represents the imaginary boundary between the film and the audience. It is usually left intact, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in the show or movie they are watching. The fictional world becomes as close to real as you can get. Breaking the fourth wall, however, tears down this boundary. This unique storytelling tool can add humor, drama, or added depth to a movie’s storyline, revealing the complexities of filmmaking. (And it is not just Deadpool who employs it.)

Breaking the 4th wall is a director’s method of engaging the audience at a deeper level, adding more depth to the storytelling and more substance to the characters. The concept originally developed from stage plays and theater, where the literal 4th wall was the barrier through which the audience watched the show. The actors believed themselves to be confined to the four walls of the stage, in their own world and unaware they were being watched. Breaking this 4th imaginary wall usually happens when a character talks to the camera or audience, acknowledging their existence, and sometimes even accepting they are a fictional character on the screen. Take Deadpool, for example. The Marvel superhero is the most well-known for employing this method, and even talked to the audience in comics.

Deadpool’s first 4th wall break was committed on paper, in Deadpool #28, created by Joe Kelly and Pete Woods. Deadpool reunited with the assassin Bullseye, who asked him how long it had been since they had teamed up. Deadpool replied: “Issue Sixteen.” It was subtle, but it was effective. And it evolved Deadpool into the superhero he is today, who has a particular fondness for keeping it real with the audience.

In the second installment of the franchise, Deadpool is in the middle of a fight with the villain Cable, who has a particular hatred for dubstep. Offended by his taste, Deadpool aptly responds with:

“So dark. You sure you’re not from the DC Universe?” (Adding humor whilst also throwing shade at DC. Nice)

Even more out of the blue was this introspective reference:

“You think Ryan Reynolds got this far on his superior acting method?”

According to StudioBinder, there are three rules to follow for breaking the 4th wall effectively: Be Extreme, Be Thoughtful, Be Controversial. These can be subtle or they can be monumental shifts in the rhythm of the film. Captivating the audience’s attention is the primary goal, and Deadpool’s notorious 4th wall breaks clearly meet these criteria. These are routinely used to interrupt the film with unexpected comedy and innuendos, perfectly mirroring the tone of the film and its protagonist.

From the comic Deadpool: Dead Presidents - by Brian Posehn, Gerry Duggan, and Tony Moore

The primary goal of any 4th wall break should be to grab the audience’s attention and keep it. These ‘controversial’ breaks must be big and they must be impactful, but that doesn’t always have to be comedic or rude. Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street comes to mind. There are a couple of breaks throughout the film, notably when Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) talks about his absurdly high drug consumption, or when he asks the camera whether his swindling money scheme was legal. The narrative of the film is purposely interrupted so Belfort can acknowledge to the audience that his actions were illegal, but he did them anyway. Highlighting the character’s immorality and greed forces the audience to view him in disgust, exactly as director Martin Scorsese intended. Thus, these types of breaks emphasize to the audience the true nature of the character they are watching, avoiding any ambiguity in how these protagonists could be viewed.

4th wall breaks are particularly effective at accentuating a character’s traits and mannerisms, giving the audience a more substantiated idea of who they are watching. Fight Club is a great example of this. The unanticipated wall break by the narrator explains to the audience who Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is - “Let me tell you a little bit about Tyler Durden.” Thus, giving his character more depth and mystery, engaging the audience even more.

Edward Norton as The Narrator in Fight Club: Fox 2000 Pictures

These are not exhaustive, and there are countless other movies and TV shows which feature 4th wall breaks to help move the show in the right direction and keep the audience on their toes. Understanding these methods can help audiences better comprehend the process and intricacies of the filmmaking process, increasing appreciation for these films. With more and more movies following suit, this 4th wall is gradually being taken down brick by brick to reveal the innermost aspects of films that everyone is dying to see.