Lacan's theory is effectively never being satisfied with things. This then creates a vicious cycle of trying to get something and when getting it immediately losing interest and moving on. It plays into the idea that we need dreams and aspirations because they give us a purpose and a sense of self-worth in order to achieve something. Therefore Lacan is seen in any film because someone always has a purpose and something they are trying to achieve and as a result as often seen as a good thing.
Although Lacan is often as a concept itself is explored in film and the problems its embedded ideologies in society can cause individuals. For example, often in films that tell stories of murderers and serial killers, present the individual killing people that becomes an obsession and more frequent because they can't find satisfaction. The idea originates from the idea that between 6 and 18 months of a child's development, it begins to distinguish itself between it and its reflection in the mirror then developing a sense of self-identity.
Lacan can be applied to the 2001 animated classic which is of course Shrek. It is a film about self-worth and never feeling good enough as we meet Shrek, an ogre who people perceive him negatively from how he looks and he acts content with his life but as the film moves on we see Shrek confide in donkey, someone who views it from how he is on the inside and he admits that he isn't content with his life of isolation and being hated. He realises he and Fiona have a lot in common and finds someone who could potentially love him after years of feeling that he is unworthy of love. He doesn't confess his feelings due to mishearing a conversation between Fiona and Donkey and lets his insecurities get the better of him. This leads to the Hallelujah scene which is a montage of Shrek and Fiona getting ready to live the lives they are expected to live but do not want to. When the song starts playing we see Shrek walk back to his empty swamp in a panning establishing shot to which we are then shown a reaction shot of him sighing with disappointment. This tells us that even though the whole movie to this point has revolved around him wanting to live alone in his swamp, he's finally here and unsatisfied because of the glimpse he had at the life he could've lived. The next shot of him reinforces this as we see him walking through the swamp where he steps on a broken mirror in which he sees his reflection. He sees himself as he is through the shards of broken glass which are symbolic of the fact that he not only feels ugly but also that even though he had everyone including himself he didn't care that people hated him and he lived this toxic and isolated life, he actually does care. So the glass shards are not broken because he's ugly but because he is looking at his life which he had previously looked at with happiness and content but now sees it for how isolated it really is and this idea he had of it being his perfect life is now broken. This shot is bridged over by a dissolving transition from Shreks reflection in the broken shards of glass to fionas reflection in the glass of a chandelier with the same look of disappointment that Shrek has because she too is unhappy with the life she dreamed of having. It also mirrors how they both want each other's lives as they are stood on opposite sides of their reflection and colours reinforce this idea because in Shreks reflection they are green and earthy like him which isn't very appealing, while fionas is contrastingly bright and white making it look much more appealing and desirable. Another shot we see is him tidying his house which is dimly lit. He picks up the only things that brighten up the room which is sunflowers, in a reaction shot we see him smiling as he reminisces on the time he and Fiona spent together, his sombre smile soon turns to a frown filled with anger and frustration as he throws the flower into his fire which symbolises the fact he is leaving that life he could've happily lived away and along with that his only chance of true happiness. The shot of the fire then pans out to a shot of Fiona getting ready to marry Farquad. The non-diegetic lyrics are very symbolic of what is occurring on-screen at this moment as he picks up the sun-flower they read "Well people I've been here before" as he is reminiscing on his and Fiona's relationship and then "I know this room and I've walked this floor" as he throws the flower to establish the idea that he doesn't want to open himself up for people to accept him because he only gets hurt. Then when it pans to Fiona "I used to live alone before I knew you" which is speaking for Shrek subconscious mind telling himself he doesn't need Fiona or the life she could've given him because he likes living alone when really he doesn't anymore and he never really did despite what he had convinced himself for years.
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