Narrative Film Research Articles

Analyzing the narrative context of post-industrial audio-visual works in Northeast China from the absurdity in the documentary Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002)

Since 2019, Northeastern post-industrial culture has been a popular topic of discussion; the general public refers to it as the Northeastern Renaissance. Crises of identity, honor, and faith have been recurring themes in several Northeastern films released in recent years. Furthermore, these cinematic narratives frequently generate somber humor by presenting an enormous contrast between ideals and actuality. The article examines how the post-industrial narrative context of Northeast China has influenced audio-visual cultural products and contemporary Chinese popular culture. To elucidate the fundamental aspect of the Northeast narrative, the article’s author employs the absurd theory of Albert Camus. The main structure and viewpoints of the article are as follows: The first is after presenting individuals’ contemplations on the Northeastern Renaissance-instigated post-industrial narrative of the Northeast. In the following sections, the article explores the narrative context of post-industrial audio-visual works in Northeast China, focusing on the absurdity depicted in the documentary Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002). The authors’ analysis reveals how the documentary captures the socio-economic decline and the resulting human experiences of absurdity and dislocation. Key findings indicate that the narrative structure and visual style effectively convey the bleak realities of post-industrial life, offering critical insights into the region’s socio-cultural transformation. These findings suggest that future research should explore the intersection of visual media and social change in other post-industrial contexts.

Cinema as a pedagogical practice in higher education: a case study applied to labour law*

The aim of this article is to discuss the use of cinema as a pedagogical resource in higher education in the legal field and, more specifically, in the teaching of labour law. It emphasises the importance of multimedia resources, focused on art and aesthetics, as an aggregating element for the formation of a humanist conscience that is essential in legal training. The purpose of this pedagogical practice is to use cinema as a means of reflecting on labour relations, starting from the reality portrayed and grasping the reality of each era. By watching and analyzing films, the objective is to study labour law and encourage social reflection (Russell, 2009). There are two general objectives: to provide a reflection on the evolution of Labour Law and to raise awareness of the reality of labour relations. The specific objectives are to use cinema as a teaching tool and to discuss film narrative and its different components.

Dwaj ludzie z lustrem. Metafory fotografii i fotograficzne motywy w etiudach Romana Polańskiego

Two Men and a Wardrobe: Photographic Motifs and Metaphors in Roman Polanski’s Short Films This paper attempts to explore the photographic metaphors (Bernd Stiegler’s categories) and motifs drawing on photographic techniques and practices in three short films directed by Roman Polanski while still a student (Two Men and a Wardrobe, Teeth Smile, Murder). Metaphors and motifs originating in the technical, practical, mythopoetic, and anthropologic aspect of photography—e.g. mirror, doubling, doppelgänger, shade, voyeurism, murder, mortification/vivification—used in Polanski’s early film narratives refer to copying vs. creating, reproducing a fragment of the world vs. developing it anew, exploring “reality” vs. illusion, “truth” vs. imagination, optics vs. metaphysics, and produce an autonomous space of meanings and possible interpretations. The theoretical framework of the analysis is provided by selected threads in the theory and philosophy of photography drawn from the works of Bernd Stiegler, Roland Barthes, Edgar Morin, Susan Sontag, John Szarkowski, and Edouard Pontremoli.

Exposing and Creating Nuance in Cinema: A Study on the Representation of Marginalized Identities in Neeraj Ghaywan Films

Being a perception-inducing and reinforcing medium, films can make remarkable efforts to humanize the lives of marginalized identities. Indian cinema has been largely criticized for its upper-caste gaze, sexual objectification of women, gagged or stereotypical representation of minorities, and other cultural identities. Neeraj Ghaywan is necessarily one of the young contemporary filmmakers from Bollywood who, regardless of the status quo, attempts nuance in terms of representation and portrayal. Diversity in the organizational structure of our society should reflect in mainstream cinema narratives to impact the process of democratization. The presence of more filmmakers from diverse identities would energize this process in its due course. This study is designed to analyze the representation of marginalized identities and explore the auteurship of Neeraj Ghaywan. As choosing not to talk about is itself a political act of subversion, under-representation would impact only social exclusion, while misrepresentations might perpetuate and bring about toxic stereotypes. The films of Neeraj Ghaywan are keen on both aspects of faulty representations.

Stereotypical Elements in the Narrative Structure of the Nationally “Other” in Contemporary Polish and Ukrainian Cinema

This paper researches topical Ukrainian and Poland cinema narratives related to interaction with the representatives of other nationalities in the territory of one country. The purpose of the research is to analyse changes in intercultural narratives related to the national stereotypes in contemporary films. The current development stage of the world culture requires new narratives –signals about that appear in the world and Ukrainian cinema. For Ukraine, these narratives become especially relevant after 2014. Now, the Ukrainians are thinking over their history and their relationship with those who the history united them with in a new way. This is perfectly illustrated by the films under analysis, Why I Am Alive (Ukrainian title: Chomu ya zhyvyi) (2015) and Shchedryk (2022), where the characters build a new discourse of their value-based existence by getting released from national stereotypes. Some stereotypes are analysed extensively in relation to films Lessons of Farsi, The Pianist, The Jew (Żyd).

Analisis Semiotika Terhadap Tokoh Utama Perempuan dalam Film Perempuan Tanah Jahanam

Horror is still a popular genre in the growth of Indonesian films. Female characters are often featured iconically in the narrative of a horror film. However, there is a negative stigma about the presence of female characters in horror films who appear as antagonistic characters. Female characters often play the role of ghosts, victims of crimes, and other complementary characters. This study uses qualitative research and Roland Barthes semiotics to analyze the representation of female characters in Perempuan Tanah Jahanam. This research focuses on the main female characters in the movie. The results of this study explain the denotation that describes the female characters in Perempuan Tanah Jahanam as women who become the main characters in filling various important roles in horror films, while in the connotation there are various meanings that the main female characters have social strengths such as courage in fighting patriarchal culture, supporting fellow women, working hard and being independent, from the denotation and connotation that the author found formed a myth in the form of elements of feminism that were constructed on the four main characters in the film. Researchers found that the main female character is no longer represented as a victim or a seductive and sexy ghost. Female characters are also not used as a means of supporting the success and interests of commercialism in a horror film.

W jaki sposób filmowa forma uhistorycznia filmową narrację i ekranowy świat przedstawiony? Analiza zjawiska na wybranych przykładach

The article deals with the issue of aesthetic-formal strategies of historicizing the film narrative and the screen world presented in historical cinema. It shows by means of which strategies – formal means of expression – the film narrative and the world depicted are historicized. In the introduction, a key analytical concept – historicity – is introduced. The category of historicity is shown as heterogeneous, requiring each time a conceptualization relativized to the cultural context of its use. In the article it is conceptualized in various ways, e.g. as: variability/existence in time (a way of understanding time); repetition; past; chronological; linearity; layering; rhythmic; causal; development; progress; shift/turn to the past/references to the past; (futuristic) projection of the past; tradition; memory of the past; (historical) consciousness; scholarly (historiographical); momentousness; obsolescence/ anachronism/ archaicity/ antiquity; style of thought; narrative; discursive; documentary/source; meta-historical; genre. The strategies of historicizing the film narrative and the cinematic world presented are conceived in the text as the numerous ways of equipping the film with various kinds of formal/filmic signs of historicity, allowing to obtain in the act of actualization of the work by the viewer/researcher the impression of the effect of historicity of the narrative and the world presented. They form the film poetics of historicity. In the following sections of the article, signs of historicity in the function of historicizing the cinematic narrative and the depicted world are analyzed on the example of various films. They consist of (1) paratexts; (2) the composition of the film narrative.

Pioneering "Experimental Heroes" of Turkish Cinema

While the narrative tradition, which has been developing for thousands of years, can be examined by dividing it into three parts as Drama, Lyricos and Epos, since the discovery of cinematography 127 years ago, narrative in cinema has developed narratives parallel to the two most basic theories of cinema, Realistic Film Theory and Formalist Film Theory, as well as contributing to experimental, feminist, etc. narratives in addition to these theories. The main purpose of this article is to examine three different pioneering films and heroes of Turkish Cinema (Umut-Yılmaz Güney-hero: Cabbar, Anayurt Oteli-Ömer Kavur-hero: Zebercet, Uzak-Nuri Bilge Ceylan-hero: Mahmut), which were shot in a realistic theme, and to reveal how they developed their heroes and what kind of experience they offered to the audience with the heroes they presented, starting from the literary narrative genre Epos. Based on the concept of objectivity, the presentations of the heroes were examined by using the cinema's own language and forms with the cooperation of the screenwriter-director.

Beyond The “Joker” Movie: Cinema As A Politainment Agent

In the scope of this study; Joker (2019) film will be analyzed and examined as a political entertainment medium through cinematic narration. The film is assessed both in terms of scene analysis and in terms of the film's current discourse. Within the framework of this study, Joker film evaluated thematically as a political entertainment thus this article aims to enlighten the relationship between cinematic representation and political circumstances through the perspective of Douglas Kellner's Cinema Wars narrative. The goal of this study was to break down Joker film to examine its ideological and aesthetic representations within the social, political and cultural context in the timeframe when the film was released to build up a bridge between political reality through the employment of cinematographic machinery.

Excursion among the Countries, Documentary, and Essay: Layered Narratives and Self-Representation in A Dog Called Money

The film elements, especially in the documentary or essay films, carry the director's point of view more prominently. A Dog Called Money (2019) is a film with essayistic and documentary features by photographer Seamus Murphy about the creation process of British musician PJ Harvey's latest album, The Hope Six Demolition Project. The film focuses on the artists' journey in Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Washington DC and the album's production process, which takes place in a live museum exhibition. Murphy uses visual narrative, while Harvey takes on the role of the textual and auditory narrator with voice-over, text, and music. Therefore, this study analyses the textual and audio-visual features of the documentary film that reflect the self-representation of both artists. The representation form created by the layered narrators that the film's narrative varies between the essay and the documentary genre is interpreted in the context of image, sound, and text.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as a 21st-Century Gothic Tale

This paper considers Juan Antonio Bayona’s 2018 film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as a Gothic film which disrupts the archetypal conventions of monster films, especially in relation to the antispeciesist conception of monsters —in this case, the genetically-engineered dinosaurs which feature in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World sagas. Through an analysis of its cinematography, character construction, scenarios and plot development in the light of Gothic Studies, I will argue that this film is not just Gothic in appearance, but also in the sense that itbreaks with contemporary anthropocentric conventions of normalcy, unity and species boundaries, and that it confirms the trend in filmic narratives that takes into account the monsters’ perspectives in order to challenge human exceptionalism.

Emotional event perception is related to lexical complexity and emotion knowledge

Inferring emotion is a critical skill that supports social functioning. Emotion inferences are typically studied in simplistic paradigms by asking people to categorize isolated and static cues like frowning faces. Yet emotions are complex events that unfold over time. Here, across three samples (Study 1 N = 222; Study 2 N = 261; Study 3 N = 101), we present the Emotion Segmentation Paradigm to examine inferences about complex emotional events by extending cognitive paradigms examining event perception. Participants were asked to indicate when there were changes in the emotions of target individuals within continuous streams of activity in narrative film (Study 1) and documentary clips (Study 2, preregistered, and Study 3 test-retest sample). This Emotion Segmentation Paradigm revealed robust and reliable individual differences across multiple metrics. We also tested the constructionist prediction that emotion labels constrain emotion inference, which is traditionally studied by introducing emotion labels. We demonstrate that individual differences in active emotion vocabulary (i.e., readily accessible emotion words) correlate with emotion segmentation performance.

Phenomenology and Stream of Consciousness: The French New Wave and Modern Films

Phenomenology is widely recognised as a philosophical framework that pertains to the comprehension of the universe and the investigation of epistemology, emphasising a shift towards seeing entities in their true form, while arguing that the outward manifestations are indicative of their intrinsic nature. The inclusion of consciousness in literary works deviates from conventional psychological portrayals due to the presence of the character's subconscious mind, which remains inaccessible to their awareness, alongside a representation of reality. Within the realm of film, the concept of stream of consciousness is translated into a visual representation, often referred to as a shot, which serves as a metaphorical depiction of the character's complete focus or absence thereof. This article posits that the topic of stream of consciousness remains prevalent in contemporary cinematic narratives by drawing a comparison between the French New Wave and current cinema.

Kesetaraan Gender Egalitarianisme dalam Narasi Film Barbie melalui Perspektif Konstruktivisme

The issue of gender equality is not something new today. This issue has been widely discussed in a series of interesting stories full of meaning, one of which is in the form of a film. This research explores the representation of gender equality in the Barbie film released in 2023 and directed by Greta Gerwig from a constructivist perspective. The Barbie film is mass media that influences people's perceptions of gender bias. In the context of constructivism, films are considered the result of construction by media professionals, which can strengthen or change gender stereotypes that already exist in society. The research method used is a qualitative approach with Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis. The constructivism paradigm is used to understand how reality is understood and constructed by research subjects. The research subject is the representation of gender equality in the Barbie film narrative, while the research object is the dialogues in the film that will be analyzed. The results of the analysis show that the Barbie film depicts excessive expectations placed on women and criticizes views that trivialize or simplify issues of gender equality. The conclusion of this research is that the Barbie film as part of mass media depicts gender equality issues in a complex way and triggers critical thinking about gender stereotypes in society.

Structuralist Perspectives on the Wholeness and Synchronie of Non-Linear Film Narratives --The Film Babel as an Example

Structuralism is a methodology that originated in the nineteenth century, which asserts that all human activities are constructed rather than natural or essential and, therefore, emphasises the study of structure and regularities in terms of larger systems. In this perspective, cinema uniquely affects the viewers emotions or perception of what is on screen through the use of a variety of codes, symbols or conventions that resemble the structure of language. At the same time, non-linear narratives are an important and special category of cinematic, the so-called non-linear narrative being a film in which two or more perspectives and scenes are narrated in alternating and disrupted chronological order. This article uses textual analysis to dismantle and sort out the theme, spatial and temporal construction, audio-visual elements, and more in Babel, a typical non-linear narrative film, to prove that the two basic features of structuralism theory - wholeness and synchronise - are the most important and special category of non-linear narrative films. It argues that even though the non-linear narrative film has the fractured nature of spatial and temporal construction, the core still serves the film as a whole. The non-linear narrative of film breaks the traditional narrative mode of smooth narrative in the past, and is now an important exploration and innovation in the history of cinema from the perspective of structuralism.

Ocean Advocacy in Discourse: Unpacking 'Seaspiracy' through an Eco-Critical Lens

<p><strong>The decrease in the wildlife population over the last 30 years was caused by various human actions, one of them was triggered by various writings and discourses spread in society. This study aims to analyze the narration of documentary film "Seaspiracy" by Netflix, focusing on the representation of marine destruction. This study examines the representation of marine destruction in the context of texts, discourses, social practices and an ecolinguistic perspective. A qualitative approach was used by combining ecolinguistics (Stibbé, 2015) and Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclough, 1995, 2003 and 2013) and LSF (Halliday, 2014) to analyze the data in depth. The data used in this study comes from the 2021 documentary "Seaspiracy", produced by Netflix. The research findings reveal linguistic features, including metaphor, irony, and similes. Regarding grammar, humans, marine animals, and the unsustainable fishing industry were found as actors, goals and attributes. However, the highest ratio lies in animals as passive participants and fishing industry players as actors (active participants). The discourse practice shows that between Netflix and Ali Tabrizi shape the audience's perspective and understanding of environmental issues and the fishing industry. In sociocultural practice, this film raises environmental concerns to change public perceptions and encourage positive action in protecting the marine environment. From an ecolinguistic perspective, this study identifies the film "Seaspiracy" as a useful contribution due to its wide dissemination to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems. These findings can contribute to understanding how language and discourse shape perceptions and attitudes towards environmental issues</strong><em>.</em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong> - <em>Eco-Critical Discourse Analysis, Film Documentary, Transitivity.</em></p>

Shunji Iwai’s Cinematic Narrative

Shunji Iwai, an “writer” among the new generation of Japanese film directors, exudes a strong personal style in terms of visual expression, narrative characteristics, and theme transmission. In his works, the audience are exposed to the concern for on youth, the yearning for a beautiful love, and the expectations and hopes in their hearts even after the pain. Over-exposed close-ups, warm tones, and life-like plot presentation are the visual labels of his films. This article will take Love Letter as an example to study his video narrative.

Cinematic Narration in Altın Çocuk and James Bond Differences, Similarities and Geographies

Cinematic Narration in Altın Çocuk and James Bond Differences, Similarities and Geographies

The peculiarity of the musical and sound continuum in the epic "War and Peace" by Sergei Bondarchuk

Using the example of the domestic film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel "War and Peace", the features of the sound component of the film are investigated. A comparative analysis of the author's text of the writer and his cinematic interpretation is carried out. A significant part of the article is devoted to the issues of sound engineering, the organization of the acoustic (noise) environment of the film. The problems of modern reconstruction of film classics, the difficulties of "translating" the original into a new digital format are also touched upon. The issues of preservation and popularization of the cinematic heritage of Russia are raised. The role of the regional film distribution system in promoting the national film classics, educating the younger generation of moviegoers is noted. The field of application of the research results is cultural studies, theory and practice of film studies, art criticism. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the analysis of the musical and sound continuum of Sergei Bondarchuk's film epic. For the first time, an attempt was made to study the features of not only the musical context of the film, but also the noise environment, the acoustic originality of colloquial speech. A detailed analysis of off-screen monologues, which play an important dramatic role in the film narrative, is carried out. Special attention is paid to the history of the national digital reconstruction of the epic "War and Peace", undertaken in the 1990s. The role of modern technologies, which allowed to preserve the musical and acoustic environment of the film, is noted. The question is also raised about the need to popularize a new digital version of the film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel. The prospect of introducing a special course on the history of Russian cinema into the Russian education system is considered.

Becoming Awakened: Four Yue Opera Segments in Xie Jin’s Two Stage Sisters

Abstract: A major work of the renowned director Xie Jin, the 1964 film Two Stage Sisters (Wutai jiemei 舞台姐妹) has received popular reception and critical acclaim both domestically and internationally. Existing scholarship has interpreted Two Stage Sisters primarily through the film analysis methodology, which overlooks the critical component of the film’s aesthetics—the Chinese Yue opera performance. My analysis will shed new light on the film’s depiction of Yue opera actresses by examining details of Yue opera performances and their intermedial interactions with the film. Examination of the “drama-within-drama” device in Two Stage Sisters —in which several excerpted opera segments are inserted into the film’s narrative—reveals that it serves both political and humanistic purposes. Drawing on my fifteen years of personal experience with Yue opera theater, I analyze the film through a new methodological approach that takes into account the film’s transmedial and multimedia connections with the operatic lyrics, singing, music, costume, and movement. This paper invites a rereading of Two Stage Sisters by presenting an original decoding of four Yue opera segments, particularly regarding the parallels and tensions between the onstage opera world and the off-stage film narrative. I demonstrate that each opera segment directly matches one step in the four-step framework of “escape → anger → half-awakened → awakened” identified by Wang Hui as the construction trajectory of female protagonist Zhu Chunhua’s revolutionary subjectivity. In this, I hold that all the Yue opera segments are carefully chosen and crafted into the film holistically to bear meaning and purpose, both in relationship with each other and in relationship to the overall film narrative. I will argue that the selected opera segments serve three central purposes in Two Stage Sisters . First, they externalize Chunhua’s interiority in her becoming a revolutionary subject. Second, they showcase the historical transformation of Yue opera theater. Third, rather than posing a stark disconnect, the premodern opera segments speak to and connect with the historicity and sufferings of women depicted in the last two modern segments, thus integrating gender and collective consciousness into the overarching revolutionary discourse. Overall, this paper uncovers the unacknowledged subtleties and richness of the film owing to the Yue opera segments.