TRACING EXISTENTIALIST THEMES IN THE FILM THE PIGEON

Abstract

Cinema, with its power to reflect and reproduce reality, is an art closely related to human experience. A vast spectrum of human emotions and ideas, from social issues to personal experiences, can be seen in films. In addition to its ability to reproduce and reflect reality, cinema has a close relationship with philosophy. By presenting philosophical concepts with the help of its unique apparatuses, cinema gives viewers the opportunity to experience and question abstract ideas. In this way, cinema encourages them to think, question and look at the world from a different perspective. Among these perspectives, existentialism, as a philosophical movement, paves the way to explore individual's freedom, responsibility and the necessity of creating one's own meaning. Cinema benefits largely from existentialism because it presents a suitable framework to depict individuals’ struggle to exist in this world. This study explores how cinema portrays existentialist themes, focusing on the film The Pigeon to examine the connection between individuals and the social world. A combination of descriptive and thematic analyses was performed to uncover existential themes in the film, such as "the absurd", "alienation", "unhomeliness", "anxiety", "forlornness" and "authenticity". The analysis concluded that these recurring themes are prevalent throughout the film. The film clearly shows that the protagonist is pressured by social norms to conform. However, he chooses to follow his own path and finds an authentic way to live his life.