I guess most people, like me, have learned this movie from the fame of Hannibal, though Hannibal is not the protagonist of the movie and I’m not going to talk about him today.
The protagonist of the movie is Clarice, a character I really like. She is somewhat similar to Dana Scully from "The X-Files" (btw, another character I really like). I’m trying to write down my thoughts and way of viewing this movie from 3 different perspectives on her, and a hidden line. From these three perspectives, there are three core conflicts levitated. Through these conflicts, we can glimpse the desires, obstacles, and transformations that extend from Clarice's inner world to the societal level depicted in the film, from the overt to the covert.
First Perspective: Catching Buffalo Bill
When Clarice is called to Crawford's office, she notices that the walls are filled with information about Buffalo Bill. The adjoining room also has a blackboard full of case-related notes, indicating that this is a high-priority case for the FBI. Clarice once attended Crawford's lectures and, through dialogue and subtle actions, that she is dissatisfied with her A- grade, clearly believing her work deserved a better result. This perfectionist tendency provides a reasonable motivation for her actions and also hints at the pressure her second identity brings.
In the underground cell, Hannibal and Clarice meet for the first time, and Hannibal sees through Crawford's intentions. From their conversation and the details in Crawford and Chilton's lines, it can be inferred that Crawford had previously spoken with Hannibal about the Buffalo Bill case but did not obtain any useful information. Thus, he uses Clarice to approach Hannibal to see if she can make any progress.
Clarice's courtesy and respect for an expert make Hannibal less guarded against her. Her abilities give her the premise to participate in the case, and her humble personality grants her the opportunity to obtain crucial information. Here, the hidden line unfolds—Clarice's unusual connection with Hannibal.
From her first meeting with Hannibal, it is evident that while she has a thorough understanding of book knowledge, she is completely inexperienced in real-world communication. She also makes some basic mistakes during simulated training, suggesting that she is still some distance away from becoming a qualified FBI agent.
However, she is very intelligent, repeatedly solving Hannibal's riddles. She is also extremely brave, as demonstrated by her willingness to enter a dangerous, unknown warehouse, even though she appears somewhat uneasy when facing a corpse for the first time.
She clearly possesses the basic skills and qualities required. On her way to Clay County, she conducts a basic criminal profiling of Buffalo Bill and provides reasonable explanations.
During the autopsy, not only does she proficiently take dictation, but she also astutely deduces that the victim is not a local and discovers the cocoon in the corpse's mouth. When she hands over the cocoon to museum researchers, they immediately begin their investigation, indicating that she has good connections, which is another essential trait for an excellent FBI agent.
However, her superiors and colleagues, who should be guiding outstanding trainees, tend to pursue their own fame and fortune.
Crawford, as Clarice's superior, provides her with opportunities and guidance, but it is clear that he views her merely as a tool. He avoids Clarice during the investigation of the victim's body and plans to take all the credit for himself during the final capture operation, sidelining the unimportant Clarice.
Chilton's conversations with Clarice reveal his disdain and resentment towards the trainee. He believes he should have the authority to obtain information and resorts to eavesdropping to achieve his ambitions after being rejected.
In contrast, Hannibal, although a prisoner, consistently appreciates Clarice's professional skills and keen intuition. He provides crucial clues, encourages, and guides her to think in the right direction regarding the case, and genuinely believes she is capabale to catch Buffalo Bill. Unlike Crawford, this dangerous criminal in a cage becomes a practical mentor to her, and she hopes to gain recognition from this extraordinary predecessor, which is filled with irony.
Second Perspective: Women’s Success in a Male-Dominated Industry
Protecting the weak and fighting evil have traditionally been behaviors more aligned with masculine traits in the most cultural contexts. Such responsibilities are naturally expected to be borne by men in the public's eye.
The film often contrasts male and female professionals through various shots and scenes.
Women, especially attractive ones, are scrutinized differently in this industry. When another character in this industry, Chilton, appears, his perspective introduces Clarice's second identity—as a woman.
Clearly, Clarice does not accept Chilton's "suggestions" to “have a right guide” and brings their relationship back to a professional context. This indicates that Clarice does not intend to leverage her female identity, even though Chilton's power might offer her some conveniences. She believes in facing challenges with her professional abilities and hopes that others will view her this way as well. This represents women's understanding of responsibility and their basic expectations from the outside world.
In the prison corridor, the deranged prisoner Miggs verbally harassed Clarice. Although the film does not provide much background on Miggs, the confinement environment suggests he is a dangerous felon who disregards social rules and perhaps takes pleasure in violating them. His behavior is a direct response to his instincts.
If Crawford's perspective on Clarice is to show a perspective viewing woman as a tool and Chilton's perspective on women is an attempt under the constraints of social rules. Then Miggs's perspective is a raw and unrestrained exposure of primal desires. This also shows an epitome of how women’s nature in the eyes of societies, from uncivilized to disciplined.
After stating her purpose to Hannibal, the true intention behind Clarice's mission is seen through by Hannibal. However, this might be the first time Clarice is addressed as Agent Starling. Hannibal views Clarice as an agent but keenly perceives the pressure and unease she feels regarding her female identity.
He heard Miggs' words and used this to probe Clarice. Hannibal also openly exposes his instinctual desire to dominate in the mental realm. Unlike Miggs, Hannibal is clearly a more sophisticated predator who views the human species as a whole as his prey without deliberately distinguishing their genders. This renders Clarice's female identity insignificant to him. For Hannibal, it is merely a tool to cut through human nature and cause mental collapse.
When he uses this tool to try to reposition Clarice in a more vulnerable stance, Clarice does not outwardly submit but still feels humiliated by this "shameful" identity. At this moment, they complete their first encounter, with Hannibal treating her as prey, even though she is not easily subdued. As she walks out of the prison, Miggs' unexpected action causes her breaking down of her emotions. She weeps against the car, and Hannibal's words remind her of her father, exposing the identity she wishes to ignore and shed behind the FBI agent facade. Just like the dilapidated, scarred, and cheap Ford Pinto reveals everything at a glance, Clarice's vulnerable past exposes the third perspective.
Third Perspective: Clarice’s Self-Ideals Achievement
When 10-year-old Clarice lost her father, she moved to Montana to live with her mother's cousin and their family, who ran a farm. One morning, she thought she heard screams, and in the barn, she found lambs being slaughtered.
Clarice was trying to save the lambs but she failed. She was intercepted by the sheriff, and the lambs were returned to the farm, still destined for slaughter. The farm owner was furious, perhaps thinking Clarice was attempting theft or seeing her actions as teenage rebellion and defiance. He didn't wait for Clarice to explain and promptly sent her to an orphanage, perhaps never understanding her motives. But for Clarice, it was her first attempt at self-idealization, brave but evidently unrealistic.
As the only family figure during her childhood, Clarice's father, being a sheriff, instilled in her the correctness of protecting the people in needs and guarding life. Clarice seemed to naturally internalize these values from her father. Compared to the ranch owner, who was the butcher taking lives, her father's image in Clarice's mind was more of a moral model, and the slaughtered lambs were undoubtedly vulnerable beings in need of protection. Alone after losing her only relative, Clarice was as helpless as a lamb. Perhaps Clarice also projected her hopes onto the lambs by feeling her unstoppable falling to unwillingly become a killer. In her eyes, they screamed, asking for redemption. But she was too young, too incapacitated to become the ego ideal she envisioned. She felt deeply guilty and disappointed for it.
After that, Clarice often woke up from screaming dreams, only finding solace in truly saving a life. This was the source of her shame but also the true realization of her self-ideal. Even though her father's death must have made Clarice aware of how difficult this path was, she still chose to follow in her father's footsteps, walking out of the orphanage and into the FBI.
In Hannibal's painting, she is depicted somewhat sanctified, and the lamb in Christianity symbolizes Jesus. In the Gospel of John, John sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Clarice's integrity, perhaps as immaculate as Jesus', causes Hannibal to waver. When he says, "Thank you, Clarice, thank you," he can no longer see Clarice as just one of the masses, nor can he place her in the position of prey.
The End
In the end, Clarice tracked down the correct location. The butterfly in the painting on the wall hinted at the identity of the homeowner, Buffalo Bill's, whose desire was metamorphosis, and this also hinted at the conclusions of the three conflicts and Clarice's turning point among these three identities.
Did the lambs stop screaming?
Clarice didn't answer that question. But there was no doubt that she had completed her metamorphosis.
Casual Talks
In Hannibal's analysis, Buffalo Bill is also not inherently a criminal, but rather a result of long-term abuse.
When he asks the victim Catherine to put on the moisturizer, he uses the impersonal 'it' to refer to the person. This suggests that if he didn't view Catherine as an object, perhaps he wouldn't be able to commit the crimes; he might still possess some empathy.
However, as Hannibal points out, prolonged abuse can lead to criminal behavior, and the harm inflicted by the environment makes it difficult for one to maintain their own goodness. This is clearly reflected in Catherine as well. She initially appears friendly and kind, actively offering help to Buffalo Bill when he pretends to have a hand injury, just as her mother described her on TV.
But when she becomes a victim at the hands of Buffalo Bill and endures days of physical and psychological torment, she is forced to threaten him by hurting his dog, mirroring the trauma Buffalo Bill himself experienced. In order to protect herself, her darker side is also triggered, completing a descent into evil similar to Buffalo Bill's own path.
In contrast, Clarice's unwavering goodness possesses an unusual sanctity throughout.
There's much more to discuss in this film, such as the changing attitude of the superior Crawford, the images of other female characters, Hannibal's perception of others, and the detailed cinematography, including the staircases and corridors passed through before Clarice's meetings, or how the position of the bars in the close-ups changing in the courthouse scenes. But I’ll just stop here for now. There will be opportunities to discuss other movies or approach 'The Silence of the Lambs" from different perspectives in the future.