How Paul Thomas Anderson uses formalism to convey feeling in Punch-Drunk Love.

After working as a composer with Paul Thomas Anderson on the film Magnolia, Jon Brian recalls how Paul wanted to direct a film that had more “sweetness” to it. That film became Punch-Drunk Love, the film explores genres like Romantic comedy and thriller whilst also being a melodramatic character study and a surrealist, absurdist art film. We follow the character Barry Egan, a socially anxious, isolated salesman as he escapes the growing drama, stress and danger of his life to pursue a romance with Lena, his sister’s coworker who shows an interest in Barry after seeing a picture of him. The film uses surrealism and formalism to represent the emotions and feelings of Barry to an exaggerated level, this allows the audience to empathize stronger with the characters and become connected to the story emotionally. In this essay I will be exploring the ways this is achieved through, both the directorial choices and also the musical techniques.

When we are first introduced to Barry Egan, the protagonist. He is sitting alone inside of a storage warehouse. The composition of the first shot, positions him in the corner of the frame with lots of empty space. His awkward positioning compared with the lack of other visual interest portrays Barry as isolated and almost uncomfortable. Shortly after this scene, having walked to the street outside we are made to feel vulnerable in the same way he does. Paul Thomas Anderson uses a jumpscare technique in the form of a car crash, he creates a false sense of security as the rest of the film has been fairly quiet, to help amplify this you also hear the sound of metal gently in the wind, resembling windchimes right before the sound of the crash. This paired with the visual of a sunrise creates a peaceful atmosphere that is quickly stripped away with the sound of metal and glass against tarmac. The crash is abrupt and harsh, catching the audience off guard and potentially making them jump. Given the absurdist nature of the film we often see the rules of reality bend to mirror or intensify the feelings of Barry, this helps the audience empathise with Barry and experience his feelings to the same degree as he does. A visual example of this is when we first see Barry in the supermarket, the lighting of the building is bright, white and almost blinding. This choice  gives the audience a sensory experience of Barry’s world. The supermarket feels endless and unnatural, we see it first through a wide angle lens that visually distorts and bends the environment giving the world an alien feel. Reflecting his feelings towards the outside world.

In a video with Jon Brion, where he discusses the process of composing for Punch-drunk Love he recounts being on set when Paul asks Jon if he could create a purely percussion based track for the film. The inspiration for this, is the music Paul would listen to on headphones whilst recording long tracking shots. Jon explains that creating rhythmic pieces for Paul to listen to while filming would help integrate the score into the tempo of the film, then orchestral and musical elements could be layered to the track afterwards. Jon credits a lot of the musical inspirations to the people working on the film, for instance he would watch Adam Sandler (Barry) play the harmonium on set and see what melodies and ideas came naturally to him so that a score could be built around it. This kind of integration is one of the most prominent techniques used to accentuate Barry’s feelings, during the first scene where he plays the instrument we hear a gentle playful track fade in, it feels as if an orchestra is playing alongside him, this is one of the first times we see Barry in a comfortable state. Alongside this track a light begins to shine onto Barry’s face while he plays, revealing a smile to the audience. It’s also important to note that he is completely alone in this scene; he isn’t trying to socialise with anyone else, he is just exploring the instrument in a vulnerable state, the camera solidifies this by slowly pushing toward Barry getting closer to him and forgetting the environment around him. Paul, again uses a jumpscare to remind the audience of the danger of the outside world, the warehouse shutters are quickly rushed open and we see a half a second long shot of Barry shielding himself from the bright light.  

The music of the film shifts over time to reflect Barry’s character arc as well. The majority of the music in the beginning of the film is fast paced, tense and discordant, which reflects his surroundings at the beginning. At this point we have only seen Barry behave awkwardly and skittishly, the first time we see self confidence in him is with Lena, the love interest. On their first date we see Barry socialising in a more natural and conventional way, he seems to act more like himself in scenes with Lena. To escape the stress of his normal life which is at an all time high, he spontaneously books a flight to Hawaii to meet her while she is on a work trip. After making this decision we hear the song “He needs me” (sung by Shelly Duval in Popeye 1980) playing during his entire journey to Hawaii. This is the first time we hear a piece of non-chaotic music used in the film, for the audience it feels grounding and relieving, pairing well with Barry’s leap of faith. The repeated line “He needs me” cements his devotion to Lena and the symbolism of the flight, this is a version of Barry that we haven’t seen before. After the plane lands we find Barry on the street during a parade using a phone booth to find Lena’s room so he can contact her. After arguing with his sister while trying to find the name of the hotel Barry gets connected to the wrong room and a man answers, causing Barry to try the hotel line again, whilst this scene is comedic, it also helps build tension and uncertainty until finally Lena picks up the phone. What makes this moment even more rewarding is the use of formalist techniques, when we finally hear Lena’s voice a light inside of the phone booth turns on shining onto Barry. As well as this we see the people in the parade around him cheer, almost as if they are celebrating for Barry. After reuniting with Lena the rest of the scenes that take place in Hawaii are relaxed, calm and pleasant, we see a moment of the two enjoying drinks by the beach while a vocalist sings a relaxed song. The camera movement helps introduce this scene as it slowly weaves through the people sitting down while we hear calm lap steel guitar, then as the vocalist begins singing the camera turns to focus on them. There is a moment where the camera is almost swaying while we are brought closer to Barry and Lena, as if dancing to the music. Then finally, we see the main characters sitting alone together with the waves in the back. This slow and serene introduction that almost meanders towards the main focus of the film, helps set the scene for Barry. His old life of stress is forgotten and for a moment the audience isn’t focused on the plot of the film, we are just enjoying the setting like the characters are. 

For Barry, the trip represents celebration, excitement and bliss. During the characters second kiss we see them silhouetted against the sky, as soon as they embrace people start rushing past the two also silhouetted, this helps the audience experience the excitement, by expressing a feeling in a visual and artistic way it allows the emotions to become the focus of the scene elevating its impact on the audience.

Jon Brain (the composer) spoke in an interview about the sound design of the film. Specifically in one scene where Adam Sandler’s character is destroying a restaurant bathroom. He talks about how all the microphones were set up to record vocals, so when Barry begins hitting and wreaking things the recording is messy and distorted. Instead of tweaking the sounds and manipulating the audio Paul opted to stick with the messy recording as it emphasised the rage the character is feeling in that moment. Jon regards this moment as a key inspiration for the music of the film “Paul went with the recording that was noisy and echo-y. A personal battleground sound – the sound of someone completely losing it. I love that; it inspired me to go even more out there.”. Jon lists numerous times where he and Paul would talk for hours about music in film. 

In an earlier scene in the film Barry, in his loneliness, calls an adult phone line. This scene uses a range of techniques to exaggerate the awkwardness of the situation. The first is the length of the scene. We listen to Barry and the phone operator’s conversation as he tries to get connected to a woman, during this dialogue she keeps pressuring Barry to tell them personal data about himself including his bank information and address. We can tell that Barry is uncomfortable, from him asking again and again if the information is confidential, as well as his nervous pacing around the apartment. During his marching, the camera is fixed in the centre of his flat panning to keep him in frame, this technique draws attention to his movement and helps exaggerate his anxiousness. During one moment, the camera follows Barry to a table where he sits to continue the conversation with the operator, he is framed to the left of the picture keeping the table off screen, then after a few seconds the camera moves of its own volition. Without following Barry the table is revealed, in this shot we see the other end is completely empty. In this scene you can almost feel the absence of someone, this is emphasised by having the chair pulled out slightly like someone was just sat down but got up to leave. Another technique in this scene is the choice to not include music, in a lot of the other scenes we have music to accompany the feelings of stress but in this scene we sit in the silence with Barry. The long pauses he takes feel like moments of second guessing and the awkwardness of the operator slowly convincing him to continue are unignorable without any music to distract the viewer. 

In conclusion I believe that the combination of formalist direction and music integrated side by side with the filming process, creates a work that compels the audience to invest emotionally in the film. By changing the environment to reflect and exaggerate the feelings of the main character Paul creates a world that is intertwined with the narrative, this makes the moments where the characters are in distress feel all consuming but the moments of victory and happiness feel even more satisfying. This provides the film with a much more compelling and moving experience.

Works Cited

Fear, David. “Jon Brion: How I Made the Soundtrack for “Punch-Drunk Love.”” Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2016, rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/jon-brion-how-i-made-the-soundtrack-for-punch-drunk-love-129143/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.

Magnolia . Directed by Paul Anderson, 1999.

Punch-Drunk Love. Directed by Paul Anderson, 2002.

“Shelley Duvall – He Needs Me.” Genius, 2025, genius.com/Shelley-duvall-he-needs-me-lyrics. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.