Cine de choque : image culture, the absence of the patriarch and violence in Alejandro Amenábar's "Abre los ojos" (1997)

Thakkar, Amit (2011) Cine de choque : image culture, the absence of the patriarch and violence in Alejandro Amenábar's "Abre los ojos" (1997). New Cinemas, 9 (1). pp. 19-34.

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Abstract

This article proposes that Alejandro Amenábar's Abre los ojos (1997) is an example of what I term cine de choque, a specifically Hispanophone category of film in which the word choque – translatable as “crash”, “shock” or “clash” in English – informs both theme and aesthetics. In this particular example of cine de choque, an aesthetic is created on the basis of a structure in which lulls are almost as important as the film's crash, shocks and clashes. The film's lull–choque–lull aesthetic, I argue, emphasizes the allure of image and false explanations in the life of the protagonist César. This allure is partly explained by the absence of authoritative, patriarchal figures: both his parents are dead and the older male figures which compete for his attention prove to be unreliable. The resulting evocation of a culturally and historically orphaned youth culture in Spain helps to contextualize the film's acts of violence.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
New Cinemas
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/european_languages_and_cultures
Subjects:
?? crashfilm studiesaestheticsviolencespainpatriarchyimagechoqueeuropean languages and culturescommunicationvisual arts and performing artspc romance languages ??
ID Code:
34452
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
08 Nov 2010 09:18
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 11:07