On man who lives once every two times: The Days When I Do Not Exist (2002)

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ABSTRACT The essay delineates a psychic phenomenon of incapacity to remain alive, as depicted in Jean-Charles Fitoussi’s movie The Days When I Do Not Exist (2002). The film introduces a provocative thought experiment, illustrating the life of a man who vanishes every other day, only to reappear at precisely the same location twenty-four hours later. The author contends that this narrative serves as a poignant manifestation of the inability to metabolize emotions, thoughts, and memories, leading to their continual evacuation and ultimate loss. The recurrent disappearance of the protagonist diminishes his ability to feel alive, even upon his reentry into the world. This fragile psyche undergoes a potential transformation when the man falls in love, giving rise to the hope that the relationship with another human being may facilitate the integration of both the represented and unrepresented parts of his mind. An analysis of The Days When I Do Not Exist connects the cinematographic structure and the narrative plot to illustrate unrepresented states of severely damaged minds, which are under constant threat of dissolution.