Modes of Intersubjective Address in The Central Character (1977) and Our Marilyn (1987)

Abstract

This article examines the use of intersubjective modes of address in Canadian feminist experimental film between 1979 and 1987. It compares Patricia Gruben’s The Central Character (1979) and Brenda Longfellow’s Our Marilyn (1987), noting how the use of experimental forms of address in both affectively blur the distinction between diegetic and non-diegetic space, unsettling the certainty of the spectator’s viewing position. The article counters the reading of feminist avant-garde film from this decade as being engaged in disruptive practices. While dissonance and dislocation are a part of the history of feminist experimental film aesthetics, the article argues it is equally necessary to map moments of resonance and intersubjective exchange in these films. Gruben and Longfellow’s experiments with cinematic address are framed as important interventions into dominant forms of representation that expand the range of possibilities for both the image of woman onscreen and the feminist spectator in the audience.