Tools of Characterization

Characterization in 12 Monkeys

Direct Characterization

Here's where we'll find most of the characterization in 12 Monkeys. First up is James Cole, whose characterization can sound like kindergartners bickering in the backseat: "You're crazy," "No I'm not," "Yes you are," "No I'm not," "Yes you are," "Yes I am," "No you're not!"

And it goes on like that for two hours.

We never figure out if Cole is mentally divergent or not, but his internal struggle is laid out through direct characterization. Washington asks Cole point blank if he is mentally divergent, and Railly argues that his vision of the future is a fantasy, until late in the film when she changes her tune. Cole can't seem to make up his mind, stressing he is sane one moment and wishing he were crazy the next.

Other aspects of Cole's personality are also directly characterized. The Scientists point out that he's mentally strong with a good memory, and at one point, a warden scans a barcode on Cole's neck and literally reads that he has a history of violence.

Other characters are also characterized in this way. Dr. Fletcher tells Railly she's a rational person, which she is. Granted, she eventually buys into Cole's doomsday scenario, but in her defense, she's got a lot of compelling evidence by that point. Then there is Dr. Peters, whom Railly calls "an apocalypse nut." Pretty on-point there.

Finally, we have Jeffery Goines, whom everybody calls crazy. And he is. Very.

Clothing

Next, we have clothing. Dr. Railly is a wonderful example here. She is a rational, intelligent, no-nonsense kind of gal, and we see this in the way she dresses. Even when touring the seedier side of Philadelphia, she wears a classy coat-and-scarf getup, and her hair is neat and tidy (well, tidy for a kidnapping anyway). As a professional, we also see her in a white lab coat during her shifts at the mental hospital.

In fact, now that we think about it, all of the scientist characters are seen in white lab coats at some point in the film. It's seriously the most impersonal outfit imaginable, and that's the film's point. The future Scientists especially look like they are adhering to a cultish dress code.

On the other hand, the characters who are more mentally unstable tend to rock outfits from the Derelicte collection. When James first appears in 1990, he's wearing a clear raincoat and whitey tighties, which even someone as physically fit as Bruce Willies can't pull off. L.J. Washington wears a suit and tie with bunny slippers. If nothing else, these guys are mentally divergent in their fashion sense.

Physical Appearances

Closely related to clothing is physical appearance, and we'll start with Jeffery Goines on this one. Goines wears several different types of clothes: a hospital gown, a suit and tie, and an all-black thieving ensemble. But his physical appearance always clues us into his character. It's in the eyes. Goines suffers from strabismus, a.k.a. crossed eyes. He also bites his nails, and his hair styles look like he dared the stylist to do the job blindfolded. All of these clues let us know he is mentally unstable and sporting an askew worldview.

Dr. Railly's physical appearance also clues us into her character, more specifically her character arc. When she is skeptical of Cole's doomsday narrative, she has dark hair and wears professional clothing. But when she accepts Cole's scenario, her physical appearance changes. She dyes her hair blonde because…blondes have more apocalyptic fun? Going back to the clothes, you should also note that her outfit becomes more casual at this point.

So between clothes, physical appearance, and the movie straight-up telling us about them, we can infer also sorts of stuff about the characters in 12 Monkeys.