Hanji’s Mental State Through Visual Symbolism

Making a “cage” for your character is one of the earliest cinematography tricks taught. If you want to convey to your audience that your character is trapped without explicitly stating it, you put bars in the foreground. This can be anything from wallpaper, stair banisters, to window sills…

To flooring (which is expertly done here, not to mention the upward angle that makes her far more vulnerable and small)

To not-so-subtle barred gates (you even see it close on her. hanji being the one to actively shut herself in could also be symbolic of what’s happening in her head.)

Bonus: “Dutch angles” (a shot composed at an angle with verticle lines that stretch from one side of the frame or a shot that is simply tilted) can be used to show unease and disorientation