Abstract
In this article, I look at environmental agency in Sven Augustijnen’s Spectres (2011) and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing (2012). Both films are structured through re-enactments of political violence that involve perpetrators as protagonists. In this context, I study the traces of disruptions that exceed the agency of human makers and protagonists. I argue that landscapes can ‘ghost’ filmic re-enactments by refusing access or communication. Seen through the lens of decolonial theory, these spectral disobediences connect to the shadow side of rational thought and action. The environmental agencies in these films act as ghosts by pointing to different orders of remembering, resisting a singular view of contested sites of trauma. They push against the framing of truth as a document to be extracted by the camera. I conclude that environments can both store memories and prevent these memories from being retold in seemingly innocent ways. This refusal unfixes the traditional distance between filmmaker, protagonist and environment. It prompts viewers to seek layered truths and healing informed by accountability.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Moving Image Review & Art Journal (MIRAJ), The
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
