Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
open access
This work aims to investigate the intricate relationship between landscape and mobility in three Brazilian road movies - Bye bye Brasil, Andarilho and Viajo porque preciso, volto porque te amo. A...Show moreThis work aims to investigate the intricate relationship between landscape and mobility in three Brazilian road movies - Bye bye Brasil, Andarilho and Viajo porque preciso, volto porque te amo. A new conceptual framework is elaborated to brings together landscape and mobility as perspectives that are able to engage in a reciprocal relationship; this framework is called the dialectics of the road. The three films occupy different locations in the landscape and mobility spectrum. By using the dialectics of the road as an instrument for cultural analysis, they can be considered in the same analysis, and the relationship between the journey and the spaces through which is travelled can be studied comparatively. When driving a car it is impossible to simultaneously look ahead, watch the scenery and occasionally check the rear-view mirror; in a similar way the landscape and mobility perspective are in a constant state of alternation during the road movie journey. The framework that has been elaborated in this thesis gives the viewer the ability to focus on the road ahead while keeping track of their position on the road and their relationship to the surroundings. This way the stereotypical forward orientation of the road movie can be complemented by different contexts and other logics, opening up the road for new interpretations and establishing the travelled space as a crossroads of perspectives.Show less
