Fiction Film Research Articles

ROBERT FLAHERTY: LOUISIANA STORY AND DOCUFICTION

The present work intends to analyze the documentary from the point of view of the historiography of cinema, with a reference that takes into account the legacy of the Dialectical Program, above all the contributions of André Bazin, one of the main theorists of realism in cinema. For this reason, he uses the work of Robert Flaherty, with special focus on Louisiana Story, because this is one of Flaherty's films that has a narrative very close to fiction cinema.

Identity and cultural allegory amidst the Chinese new era: Analyzing narrative strategies of the Chinese science fiction film

Identity and cultural allegory amidst the Chinese new era: Analyzing narrative strategies of the Chinese science fiction film

“Beyond the kitchen door”: Racialised female domestic labourer’s mobility experiences in Anna Muylaert’s The Second Mother

The successful Brazilian fictional film The Second Mother (Que horas ela volta?, 2015), directed by Anna Muylaert, illustrates that mobility is chiefly limited or stagnant for the main character, Val (Regina Case), a live-in racialised female domestic labourer who migrates from the Brazilian northeast to the southeast to work in the house of a wealthy family in São Paulo. However, the film subtly shapes Val’s mobility as a more active, unrestrained experience once her daughter arrives in town ten years later. My goal is to understand the fundamental factors influencing Val’s range of motions. Building upon on the cultural geography notion of mobility as a socially produced movement of time and space, I look at how control over Val’s ability to move derives from the embodiment of practices of power built on derogatory discourses around the ideas of the doméstica (“maid”) and the domestic spatial and interpersonal emotional relations ingrained in class, gender, and the racial dimensions of Brazil’s former colonial, plantation-based patriarchal society. On the other hand, Val begins to disembody the powerful practices that previously controlled her mobility. I argue that the spatial, social, emotional, and bodily mobility gained by Val, echoing the Brazilian period of empowerment for the working classes, reflects gains from law such as PEC das Domésticas EC 72/2013 and Lei Complementar 150/2015.

Ion Creangă’s creation in the vision of director Ion Popescu-Gopo

The Romanian director Ion Popescu-Gopo (1923-1989) remained in the history of world cinema as the creator of the Little Man, which became his brand in the field of animation. But his creation is rich enough, including not only animated films, but also fiction films. He is the only director, who in the years ‘60-’80 dared to interpret the stories of the classic of our literature Ion Creangă, starting with The Story of Harap Alb (The White Moor, 1965), The Story of the Pig,(The Story of Love, 1976), The Old Man’s Daughter and the Old Woman’s Daughterl (Maria, Mirabela, 1982),The Bag with Two Coins (The Wager, 1984). The director re-reads the writer’s stories from a modern cinematic perspective, experimenting not only with the ideational message, but also with the production techniques, combining the actors’ play with animated images (Maria, Mirabela or The Wager).

Penerapan Teknik Objektive Camera Angle Dalam Membangkitkan Dramatis Film Pulang

The film "Pulang" is a short drama genre film with a family style, This film was made as an entertainment medium that can provide information to audience about a family where Karin's mother has a an illness that made him forget his memory even of his own child, however The child is still trying to take care of and make the mother's memory return to normal. The final result that will be produced is a work of fiction film entitled "Pulang" the process of taking pictures uses the application of objective techniques camera angle by using the audience's point of view so that the audience can feel the same thing experienced by Karin as the main character in this film

Upload, Cyber-Spirituality and the Quest for Immortality in Contemporary Science-Fiction Film and Television

As a genre, science fiction has long played with the idea of all-powerful virtual beings and explored notions of transcendence through technological advancements. It has also been at the forefront of exploring our anxieties and hopes regarding new technologies and the ethical and moral consequences of scientific advancement, raising deeply philosophical and theological concerns about an age-old question, namely: what makes us distinct as human beings and what lies beyond our own existence? This article aims to provide an overview of recent themes that have emerged in science fiction film and television, especially with regard to extending our lives beyond their natural biological age. As the article will outline, these ideas generally appear in notions of cyborgization or mind uploading into cyberspace. Both indicate a deeply human desire to avoid death, and the films and shows discussed in this article offer a range of different ideas on this. As we will see, the final case study, the Amazon Prime television show Upload (2020–), brings both of these elements together, touching on a broad range of ideas about cyber-spirituality along the way. The article concludes that although many shows raise interesting questions about the ethical challenges inherent in transhumanist fantasies of mind uploading, they ultimately remain ambiguous in their critique of the dream of digital immortality.

Imagined reality, the liquid, dystopia, and virtuality in science fiction cinema: Don’t Worry Darling, a case study

The history of cinema has never shied away from the representation of the future, and beyond the abstract nature of the contemporary concept and its temporal fluctuations, the sheer profusion of scenarios and their different links to the very concept of the real have generated a wide range of futuristic film references, especially those conceptually linked to the dystopian. This article presents a case study of Don’t Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde in 2022. It is a contemporary science fiction film proposal that condenses retro aestheticism and the American Way of Life with the historical proposals of science fiction and its forecasts about humanity’s connection or disconnection with sensory reality and the birth of virtuality. The analytical methodology, which links patriarchal dystopia, virtual reality and gender studies, is based on the analysis of differentiating elements that provide signs with which to question the reality of the experiences of the film’s main character and the environment that surrounds her. This research employs a qualitative analysis by means of case analysis with a dual approach: the audiovisual language and signs of gaps in the filmic reality created. Firstly, the audiovisual language will be analysed through the use of the decoupage technique and, secondly, the sequences that generate gaps in the filmic fiction and lead the spectator to realize that he or she is facing a simulation of reality will be organized. The anomalies identified and inferred have been subdivided for analysis into: unrealistic space/time (synchronizations and repetitions, duplications, spatial incongruities, logical errors and perfections), mediated reality and the eye metaphor and, finally, diegetic technological analysis.

From inglorious basterds, aliens, and hobbits: The structure of fictional film genre preferences and its relationship with time perspective and individual time span orientation.

From inglorious basterds, aliens, and hobbits: The structure of fictional film genre preferences and its relationship with time perspective and individual time span orientation.

Futures past and present: history, architecture and dystopia in Brazil (1985) and the Hunger Games series (2012-15)

ABSTRACT This article examines the temporality of recent science fiction films, specifically the ways in which architectural histories are used to imagine and characterise dystopias of the future. Drawing on the writing of Fredric Jameson and particularly on François Hartog’s analysis of ‘presentism’ in historical discourse, the article proposes that the dystopias shown in many recent science fiction films provide visions of the future which have been decoupled from modernist notions of historical progress. This argument is developed through analysis of the built environments of Brazil (1985) and the Hunger Games series (2012–15). In the former, historicising and modernist architecture are combined to create a dysfunctional, highly bureaucratic dystopia from which escape is impossible. In the latter films, monumental classical forms are the dominant architectural element in a dystopia marked by excessive state violence and surveillance. The postmodern housing project Les Espaces d’Abraxas, designed by Ricardo Bofill, features in both Brazil and the final Hunger Games film, providing common ground for their repudiation of utopian modernist design. The strong presence of architectures from the past in science fiction films is thus more than pastiche; instead, it establishes a temporality in which aspects of the past continue to haunt and encroach on present-day notions of the future.

The Impact of Non-linear Narrative Structures on Better Character Development in Animated-short Movies

Nonlinear narrative structures are infrequently used in animated short films and their benefits seems to be relatively neglected in comparison with cinema. Yet, the revolutionary potential of utilizing such structures in animated short films is endless. Nonlinear narratives provide techniques and tools which helps in better introduction and development of characters, resulting in in-depth emotional involvement of the audience. Such engagement is viable without the emphasis which classical structure puts on irrevocable principles such as linear timeline. This paper discusses the impact of nonlinear narrative structures in four animated short films, “The coin” (2019), “Negative Space” (2017), “Late afternoon” (2017), “The boy who saw the iceberg” (2000), which demonstrate a restructure of temporal factors. Each of these films is not only taking advantage of an exclusively tailored nonlinear structure using time distortion, they are also enforcing the impact they have on the way characters are delineated which could be inspired by other film-makers in animation. This paper discusses such innovative potentials in narrative structure of animated short films by relying on David Bordwell classical narration theories in “Narration in the fiction film” (1985), which are then diversified into nonchronological structures according to temporal feature of the narration. The present study argues that not only applying various nonlinear storytelling structures is possible in the context of animated short films, it also provides film-makers with measures and capabilities to achieve memorable and engaging characters.

The Gothic Pasts of Stranger Things

ABSTRACT Critical analysis of Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things has largely emphasized its nostalgic engagement with 1980s Americana, and particularly that decade’s science fiction and horror films. However, trappings of the Gothic in Stranger Things do not merely align it with the twentieth century’s recent past; they also function in ways that demonstrate Stranger Things’ connection to the more distant past of the Romantic period’s Gothic novels. This article extends the Gothic inheritance of Stranger Things beyond 1980s’ science fiction horror to the Romantic Gothic novel’s investment in the found manuscript, the departure point for examining the use of Dungeons & Dragons in Stranger Things alongside Mary Shelley’s use of found manuscripts in Frankenstein and The Last Man. This article reads the found manuscript as a collaboratively produced parergon (a framing device sitting both inside and outside of the text), which works through acts of translation and recreation to bring the past to bear on the present. Through examining Stranger Things’ conceptual framing of its alternate dimension, the Upside Down, and the monstrous Demogorgon through Dungeons & Dragons, this article argues that Dungeons & Dragons functions in Stranger Things as a Gothic found manuscript, drawing literary and Gothic pasts into the show’s present.

Unionist Screws: Depictions of Northern Irish Unionists in British and Irish Cinema

This article explores the representation of Northern Irish unionists in British and Irish cinema by investigating a dominant way that the community has been portrayed in fiction films: as prison officers and orderlies. Specifically, Northern Irish unionists have been portrayed as prison officers and orderlies employed in the Maze and Armagh prisons during the period of republican unrest which culminated in hunger strikes in 1981, and a mass prison escape in 1983. The films that depict, to varying degrees, these characters as belonging to the Northern Irish unionist community include Some Mother’s Son (1996), H3 (2001), Silent Grace (2001), Hunger (2008) and Maze (2017). In these films, the typical representation of Northern Irish unionists reflects both the community’s general ‘othering’ in cinema and the film-makers’ primary interest in Irish nationalism when depicting Northern Ireland. Thus, unionist characters are usually depicted abjectly and feature only as adjuncts to narratives that are principally about Irish nationalists. This study aims to build upon a range of critical work in this area and to add to broader debates that have identified this cinematic deficit whereby Northern Irish unionists are depicted more critically and less frequently than Irish nationalists.

Alien Archaeology in science fiction cinema

Alien Archaeology in science fiction cinema

«АЭЛИТА» ЯКОВА ПРОТАЗАНОВА: МАРС КАК ЧАСТЬ БЕССОЗНАТЕЛЬНОГО ГЕРОЯ-ИНТЕЛЛИГЕНТА 1920-х

The article delves into Yakov Protazanov’s film Aelita (1924), marking its 100th anniversary. It aims to bring to light the nuances of the film, which were overlooked within Soviet film studies, while also highlighting the key differences between Alexei Tolstoy’s original novel and its cinematic adaptation. The Martian storyline, reimagined as the fantastical realm of engineer Mstislav Los by the screenwriters, can be interpreted as the subconscious of the intellectual hero of the 1920s in order to explore its symbolic meaning. The Martian landscape not only embodies governmental conservatism, but, through its constructivist style, symbolizes modernity, a technologically advanced civilization, as well as reflects concerns that come not from the past, but are projected towards the future. The paper analyzes the interplay between the fears and dreams of the intellectual protagonist, whose values were shaped before the 1917 revolution. Unlike his literary counterpart, the screen image of Los has changed: in the film, the engineer is an active man, an adventurer, a person of passion. The ethereal Aelita, the sovereign of Mars, is juxtaposed to Los’ wife, Natasha, a Soviet bureaucrat. While Natasha embodies the democratic ethos of an energetic Soviet woman, Aelita personifies aristocratic ideals. The emotional openness, energetic movements and tactile interactions, and active work and social contacts—the Soviet anthropological ideal—stand in contrast to the personal convictions of Los, who aestheticizes emotional restraint, interpersonal detachment, and social elitism. The article explores the motifs common to the Moscow and Martian storylines: the yearning for interplanetary connections, the need to transcend the usual mode of life in pursuit of something new, different, unattainable, and the willingness to make sacrifices for loftier objectives. In summary, the screenwriters have radically transformed the world of Tolstoy’s novel, which manifests the impotence of an individual in the face of revolutionary turmoil and emotional depression over the loss of a beloved one. Protazanov’s film underscores the importance of active participation of not only the Red Army soldier (Gusev), but also the intellectual (Los). While aligning with certain tenets of Soviet ideology, the film also contains subtexts that challenge it. Such is the (imaginary) revolution on Mars, which turns out to be driven not by a collective awakening among the working people of Mars, but rather by the individualistic ambitions of two Earthly men: the inertia of soldier Gusev’s ardor and the jealousy of intellectual Los, his detachment from with his Soviet wife and his yearning for emotional and erotic solace with a woman of royal lineage. The article surveys critical and theoretical analyses (both domestic and international) on Aelita, revealing motifs resonant with the Western European cinematic trends of the 1920s and of subsequent decades, from auteur (Robert Wiene, Fritz Lang, Andrei Tarkovsky) to popular science fiction films and series of the early 21st century (Cloud Atlas, Dune, Foundation, etc.). This reconfirms the scale of Protazanov’s Aelita, its predictive potential and artistic merit within the tapestry of global cinema.

Science Fiction's Facial Optics

abstract: In science fiction films involving space travel, the face is often linked aesthetically and conceptually not only with the flat surface of the screen interface but also the spherical environments of the helmet, the spacecraft, and the planetary atmosphere. I explore the relations between eye, face, and screen in Stanley Kubrick's 2001 and its successors, showing how they use facial-optical motifs to mediate encounters between human subjectivity and unfathomable otherness. Ultimately, investigating the ethical dimensions of space exploration cinema's aesthetics of roundness, I argue that recent films display a turning inward and a contraction of both ethical and ontological spheres.

A Functional Study of Film Sound Design in Science Fiction Films

As a form of art combining audio and visual, movie sound effect is an important element in building the story world of the movie. When sound films first appeared, they were recognized and welcomed by the public, and it is extremely important to use sound effects in narrative films so that the audience can have a better connection with the fictional world. As one of the popular cinema genres, science fiction movies were loved by the audience when they first appeared, attracting the audience's attention with brilliant special effects, but the role played by sound effects in them should not be neglected. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of sound effects in science fiction films, and will use Avatar, Inception, The Prestige and Gravity, the four films, respectively, to explain the three functions that sound effects have. They are to enhance the realism of the movie, to help complete the temporal construction of the movie and to express the inner world of the characters.

Отражение пост-экономических проблем в научно-фантастических сериалах «Звездный путь» и «Вавилон 5»

The article examines “Star Trek” and “Babylon 5” as components of American political culture and collective memory, focusing on their portrayal of economic issues. It aims to analyze how economic ideas are depicted in science fiction films and how they are absorbed into mass culture to fit the needs of a consumer society. The study draws on interdisciplinary historiography and economic theory, integrating insights from economic and cultural anthropology as well as sociology. Its novelty lies in analyzing how economic and social issues are perceived and how alien economic development is portrayed in the visual narratives of science fiction series. The analysis focuses on how these series represent economic experiences and social contradictions, such as inequality and development disparities in American society. It also explores the political and ideological dimensions of the economy as a driver of social and cultural transformation, particularly amid economic globalization and growing criticism of capitalist rationality. Additionally, the study considers how economic development is understood through collective memory, with socio-economic traumas from modernization and globalization intensifying inequality and disparities. The study further explores how “Star Trek” and “Babylon 5” shape perceptions of economic issues in U.S. society by promoting the idea of a socially responsible economy. The author argues that these series envision a post-capitalist economy grounded in humanism, progress, and development. In conclusion, the findings suggest that “Star Trek” and “Babylon 5” serve as cultural mechanisms for the assimilation and reevaluation of economic concepts, addressing collective traumas and ideological contradictions as society balances social responsibility with market dynamics.

Research on the theme selection of Chinese films in the new environment

This selection is important because the film is a good way for the country to show itself to foreign countries. China’s progress can be shown to foreign countries through improvements in film production, and it can also reduce some high-cost low-income films and make the direction of film development clearer. The comparative analysis method is used to analyze the paper more comprehensively and focused. It is found that the film needs to be richer in macro construction and less in narrative and lyrical storytelling. Because science fiction films need to be more well-made for the imagination of the wide world, China is still too conservative and wants to add a sense of home and country to the film, which is sometimes counterproductive. This paper goes from comparing the two films to analyzing the success and failure of similar films to the problems and suggestions encountered in developing science fiction films in China. Hopefully, it can play some role in Chinese films’ development direction and methods.

Towards the Future through the Past? Present-day Singularities of the Brazilian Science Fiction Film

Towards the Future through the Past? Present-day Singularities of the Brazilian Science Fiction Film

An Investigation into the Sustainable Evolution of Color Design within Chinese Science Fiction Films in the Context of Intelligent Science—Exemplified by the Wandering Earth Series

An Investigation into the Sustainable Evolution of Color Design within Chinese Science Fiction Films in the Context of Intelligent Science—Exemplified by the Wandering Earth Series