St Clouds House Analysis

Setting is an important technique that was used to create a strong impression of main character Vanessa Loring, the woman who is married to Mark Loring, the Lorings being the couple Juno chooses to give her baby to once it is born. Vanessa lives in St Cloud’s, Minnesota, an area which is established as being a wealthy one through a montage of large mansions which become increasingly bigger and grander throughout the montage, the Loring’s mansion the largest and grandest of all. The two Lexus’s parked outside are also a symbol of their wealth. Before we even meet Vanessa and her husband these symbols of wealth and grandiose lead the audience to having a preconceived impression of Vanessa as a ‘rich snob’, openly flaunting her wealth. Inside the Loring’s house we are shown a series of close ups of Vanessa carefully placing elegant white flowers in a vase and straightening three photo frames so each is perfectly in line with the
other. This creates the impression that Vanessa is somewhat neurotic and controlling.
The house itself is very clean and tidy, large and full of sparkling white surfaces, the furniture simple but elegant – so perfect is the house that it seems like a show home, not a home that is being lived in by two people. Overall, it seems sterile and boring, therefore making Vanessa appear so as well. The audience is left wondering if this house and these people, Vanessa and her husband, are suitable for raising a child. However, by the closing scenes we see a change in Vanessa and her house- a wide shot shows her sitting on her bed cradling her baby, the formerly perfect room now cluttered in baby things, and the fully equipped nursery she prepared does not even seem to be being used. This gives the impression that Vanessa has realised what is really important, her son, and no longer cares about material things like the appearance of her house. This change in setting mirrors a change in Vanessa, and she now seems like she will make a good mother to Juno’s
baby.

Costume is also a significant technique which adds to the overall impression of Vanessa which is created. In the beginning of the film, Vanessa is seen wearing impeccably clean, smart business clothes. This, coupled with a close up shot of her straightening her -already reasonably straight- shirt cuffs, makes Vanessa appear almost painfully uptight. Again, she seems boring and far from the “edgy” mother Juno wants for her future child. However, as the film progresses, this impression is softened slightly when Juno catches a glimpse of Vanessa at the mall, playing with a small child. Away from her perfect home, icy relationship with her husband and pressure of impressing Juno, we see Vanessa in her element as she appears to be a natural with children, for once her costume consists of jeans and a hooded jacket and she seems a lot more casual and at ease, which lessens the impression given that she is controlling and uptight. This is reinforced after the birth scene when Vanessa comes to the hospital wearing a pastel yellow coloured tracksuit, the soft colour and material developing the impression that she does indeed have a softer side. In the closing scenes we see Vanessa wearing a yellow woollen jumper while cradling her baby. The audience is now comfortable with Juno’s decision to give Vanessa her baby.

Dialogue is, of course, another technique that is very important in creating a strong impression of Vanessa. We first meet Vanessa when Juno and her father drive to the Loring’s house to discuss the adoption. Vanessa’s dialogue is awkward and seems slightly condescending when she says to Juno’s father “It’s a pilates machine, you don’t make anything with it, it’s for exercising”, when he asks what she makes with it. Furthermore, Vanessa asks Juno “Are you looking for any other kind of compensation?”, after discussing how they would compensate her for all medical expenses. This too seems awkward and harsh, almost as if she was unsure how to broach the subject. From this first meeting, dialogue gives the impression that Vanessa is stiff and uptight. When Juno meets Vanessa at the mall however, we get to see Vanessa in her element, as she speaks to her future child while touching Juno’s stomach to feel the baby kick; “Hi baby. Can you hear me, sweet angel?”. By kneeling down in the middle of a shopping mall Vanessa no longer appears snobby or uptight and her words are filled with genuine love and tenderness. Juno and the audience see for the first time that Vanessa would make a very loving mother, which is confirmed by a close up of this happy realisation on Juno’s face as Vanessa speaks to her child.