Making Intentional Rips
by Eva Wojcik
In the opening scene of Rips, we see little hands fuss with a rip in a pair of jeans. The rip is not a fashion statement but a result of wear. The jeans are then thrown on the ground when a young woman enters the room. The young woman, Cass, is helping her nine-year-old daughter, Hailey, get ready before they go to clean a house. Hailey wears her red “Nantucket Lifeguard” sweatshirt as her mother tries to secure her ponytail with a green hair tie. Hailey expresses that, as of today, she no longer likes green. Out of Cass’s view, Hailey yanks the hair tie out of her hair, exposing a bright red-dyed streak.
Cass and Hailey trek across town to a wealthy neighborhood. While Cass cleans, Hailey explores the maze of rooms and plays dress-up with a pair of red clogs. She goes outside to visit the pony in the barn and runs into the homeowner’s daughter, Abby. Abby accuses Hailey of stealing her sweatshirt. Abby does not know that her mother gifted it to Cass. Abby’s mom de-escalates the argument, and Cass and Hailey depart. On the walk home, Hailey steps in a puddle. To keep Hailey dry, Cass pulls a pair of red clogs out of a plastic bag – the clogs are the same pair that Hailey had played with at the house. After Hailey recognizes the shoes, she jokes to Cass. Cass is relieved, and they continue walking home.
Rips is a short drama of two worlds colliding. The sound design of the film exquisitely captures the audience and distinguishes Cass’s neighborhood from Abby’s. The front door of Cass and Hailey’s home creaks, the dogs bark in the distance, and roisterous children ride their bikes up the street. In the background, birds are chirping but barking dogs overpower them. The neighborhood is noisy. Cars and garbage trucks drive past Cass and Hailey while they scratch a lottery ticket outside of the gas station. In the wealthy neighborhood, massive mansions with curated gardens and large front yards. The muted cars are quiet enough to hear the birds and the rustling of tree branches. Wealth seems to muffle the manor. Indeed, a study of noise pollution and socio-economic difference in Chicago found that higher noise levels disproportionately affect socially and economically disadvantaged communities (Huang 9). This article proves the Rips director, Major Dorfman, made an intentional choice regarding the differences in the background noise in Cass and Hailey’s neighborhood versus the wealthy neighborhood.
Cass and Hailey listen to music on their walk to the house. Music blasts from Cass’ phone in the park, and Hailey sings along. It might be considered rude to listen to music aloud in a strangers’ home, but they are alone. When they enter the house, everything is still. It is lifeless. The home is peaceful and quiet but lonely. In contrast, Cass and Hailey’s home is lively. They are surrounded by an energetic community. Although the wealthy home is surrounded by houses, they are isolated from society’s vibrancy.
Red is the most prominent color in the film. A loud color, red symbolizes power, strength, and, most importantly, love. Hailey’s favorite sweatshirt is red. When Hailey wears this sweatshirt, it makes her feel confident and strong. Hailey does not know her favorite sweatshirt is a hand-me-down until the end of the film. Cass told her she bought the sweatshirt while she was on a trip. Cass attempts to shelter her daughter from the adversities she faces but is not successful. The second hand-me-down Hailey receives is also red; a red, shiny pair of clogs. After Hailey steps in a puddle, she receives the shoes. Hailey is shocked because she was just playing dress-up with them. While Hailey played dress-up, she danced like a carefree, happy little girl in Abby’s room. The camera flips between delicate figurines and American Girl dolls. Emphasizing what Hailey does not have, but Hailey is not jealous of these things. In the park, the audience can feel the unspoken words between Hailey and Cass. Hailey realizes how vulnerable her mom is at this moment, so she makes a joke about showing them to her boyfriend. Hailey’s intelligent response changes the mood of the scene from pensive and tense to playful.
Since red is a “loud” color, sounds may appear louder with red on the screen. Combined with sound, the film’s color palettes play mind games with the audience. Cass immediately turns on rock music to clean in the white kitchen while the camera observes her in the stately living room. The living room’s dark walls form a border around the bright tiles and light kitchen cabinets. The muted colors seem to subdue sounds. Later, while Hailey cleans a window, the shot is primarily red from her sweatshirt and hair. In this scene, the background music appears to sound more upbeat and intense, grabbing the audience’s attention and making them feel more engaged.
Another significant sonic sign in the soundtrack is the piano music. After Hailey arrives with Cass at the house, Hailey runs to another room. Suddenly, we hear her tickling a piano. She does not play well as she presses the keys at random. The diegetic sound acts like a stinger, a sharp accent in an otherwise silent home. The piano has a symbolic function; it is the domestic instrument associated since the nineteenth century with middle-class culture and upward social mobility. In Ruth Solie’s article “Girling’ at the Parlor Piano”, a father explains to his daughter that playing the piano is an “honorable accomplishment for young ladies” (link).
For Hailey, the piano is a toy, just like Abby’s pony. In Abby’s world, however, they are status symbols. Abby is now too big to ride Franklin, so she has graduated to playing the piano not only as a symbol of prosperity but also as part of middle-class propriety. Abby has weekly lessons to improve her skills, and lessons are expensive. In the nineteenth century, middle-class daughters played the piano to perform their femininity (link). Both the pony and the piano manifest the socio-economic gap between Hailey and Abby.
Rips centers around the sacrifices a mother makes for her daughter. Cass seeks to shelter Hailey from feeling lesser than, but Hailey learns to embrace her background. The film ends on a hopeful note. Jeans are ripped for a reason. Affectionately called distressed, they bear the marks of life’s labors, including the labor of love.