Life 24x a Second

Abstract

Abstract Life 24× a Second: Cinema, Selfhood, and Society is about the life-sustaining and life-affirming power of cinema. In confronting the devastating reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, the obligation to explain the value of all artistic expression and pedagogical practice has surely never been greater. This book adopts multiple perspectives on why films matter within and beyond the classroom, with special attention to hearing the sound tracks that move through bodies and that can be carried into the world at large. Drawing on work by authors across disparate fields of literature, business, psychology, biological science, autobiography, history, and cultural studies, this book makes the case for cinema as a life force on the biggest emotional, personal, and social terms, and in ways that can resonate for any reader. The book zeroes in on cinema that offers hope in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement (Imitation of Life (1959) and BlacKkKlansman (2018)); contemporary feminism (Nobody Knows (2004)); the teachings of Heartmath (Dancer in the Dark (2000)); realities of grief and mourning (Life of Pi (2012), Ikiru (1952), and A Star Is Born (2018)); and personal experiences of loss (Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)). Life 24× a Second: Cinema, Selfhood, and Society draws directly upon many pedagogical experiences and students’ reflections to show how these films can create a better world for all.