The WSOD Principle

When you find yourself cursing at Claudine Barreto in Anak for her rebellious and resentful ways against her OFW mom Vilma Santos (Go ahead, Ate Vi, slap her!), you know that the principle is working.  Or, when you start shouting at a Wes Craven character, telling him not to fall asleep lest Freddy Krueger exact revenge with his knives as fingers.

It’s the principle of ‘the willing suspension of disbelief’, or the acceptance of a level of implausibility in the narrative and the whole visual experience.   If you find yourself Tweeting or checking your watch repeatedly inside the cinema, then the film has flunked the principle.

There are some details that can break a film.  Like, costume design.  Inaccuracies or sloppy costuming will snap you out of stupor.  Remember, the batsuit nipples and Batgirl's zippers in Batman and Robin (1997)?  Period Pinoy films where men have underwear line before Jockey briefs was launched in the market?

But let’s talk about the ones that have upped the WSOD factor.  I’m less interested in costume dramas.  People are more accepting of costumes for 19^th century of early 20^th century films.  Just throw in a lot of hoop skirts and ruffled tops and it seems accurate enough.  References for centuries past abound.  I think it’s more challenging to do costumes for films set in the modern era (the 70s as a cut-off), since everyone has preconceived notions on how things went in the recent past.  Also interesting are those in fantasyland are -- only the costume designer and director’s vision of the nonexistent matters.

Here are my picks for costumes that pulled off the WSOD principle:

Star Wars (1977)

Milk (2008)

Clueless (1995)

Velevet Goldmine (1998)

The Fifth Element (1997)

Legally Blonde (2001)

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Devil Wears Prada (2005)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)