The film falls into a psychological thriller which includes themes such as mind games however it is a hybrid genre as it also has elements of crime throughout the film. Silence of the lambs is about an FBI cadet who is sent to observe and find out information from a highly dangerous and manipulative killer. He has an incredible ability to get into peoples heads and thoughts unraveling their life's even if he has only met them once. Clarice uses his skills to find out where a serial killer is who skins his victims is hiding. It's a race against time which matches the thrillers main elements.
Silence of the lambs has a very complex story line one way it does this is doesn't clearly explain everything to the audience which means they have to concentrate and figure it out for themselves. It never clearly explains who the real villain is in the film, they are hunting Buffalo Bill however Hannibal Lecter is shown as a monster and his deviance and emotionless approach to life makes him appear more dangerous but he is helping them solve an important case which will save a young girls life. These mixed emotions portrayed to the audience, of is he good or bad, is also shown by the complex relationship him and Clarice have. They have an agreement that if he helps he will be allowed to live in a better environment, however Clarice and him at times seem almost friendly and understanding of each other. Also is not conventional for the main villain to not be a main character in the film, Buffalo Bill is only shown twice. Clarice is the main character, its very uncommon to have a hero as a women. She is brave and enjoys her job and completely committed to it however when Hannibal Lecter gets into her mind and talks about her fathers death it shows the audience a different side to her and how she opens up the Hannibal shows her weaker side.
The story is fiction however they have gone with a very realistic approach when shooting the film, which is shown by the lighting. Normally in a thriller genre they will have very low key lighting which adds to the suspense and the mood of what is happening in the scene. It follows the genre of thriller in the area's that they have shot for different scenes for example. When shooting the scenes in the prison its shown with high security with vicious and disturbed prisoners which heightens the anticipation of what Hannibal Lecter is saying to Clarice.The end scene is also shown in a dark basement which is set out into a mase of rooms with very little light.
The film does lack suspense sometimes as it is constantly moving however they have continued to add a sense of what will happen next by not uncovering the whole story line. This keeps the audience engaged and interested in the film. Theirs no action or stunts that have been added to the film however this is not needed as the films pace is kept up dues to how the story has been constructed and the lack of romance has been masked by the complex relationships between the characters. The eerie music that is played throughout is very convention it matches what is happening in the scene and makes it very mysterious and makes the situation seem much more dangerous such as when Clarice is on her own in the basement. When Clarice shoots Buffalo Bill is shows how heroic and brave she is and the sudden change from her being completely alone and helpless in the dark to her being fully in control and killing him represents that a women can be just as good a main character then men.
The psychological issues in this film relate perfectly to the thriller conventions as well as the troubled protagonist characters. There aren't always moments of shock however when the lights are turned of and Clarice is left alone with Buffalo Bill we automatically feel the tension and suspense, or when she gets closer than she should do to Hannibal Lecter's cell adds an element of the thriller genre.
Although Silence of the lambs does break some major conventions of the genre and creates some new one's too its still a great example of an iconic psychological thriller.
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