“So what happens if I eat what I want, and dress as I want? Too much for you?” Leyla, a woman who lives her life with no constraints, uttered this quote in Palestinian director Maysaloun Hamoud’s...Show more“So what happens if I eat what I want, and dress as I want? Too much for you?” Leyla, a woman who lives her life with no constraints, uttered this quote in Palestinian director Maysaloun Hamoud’s film In Between (2016). In Between portrays Arab women in control of their lives who make their own decisions, even if these are frowned upon by their society. This image differs from those in Hollywood films, wherein Arab women have been depicted in groups covered in black robes following their husbands, for example. As these depictions are repeated, audiences may believe the images presented to them, and formulate stereotypes of Arabs. This topic demonstrates that portrayals of Arab women exist in cinema that challenge the stereotype of disempowered Arab women. Furthermore, this topic highlights Arab women’s diversity and the obstacles they face when breaking away from the image expected of them from their societies. Therefore, this thesis will focus on In Between’s portrayal of Arab women to demonstrate that In Between questions the stereotype of disempowered Arab women, and represents Arab women. In order to do so, this thesis will analyze the cultural identities and femininity of Leyla, Salma, and Nour, In Between’s three main characters.Show less
Connecting Kaurismäki to irony is not surprising, but is surprisingly enough, not so much scholarly researched in the past. Irony appears in different disguises, largely depending on the function...Show moreConnecting Kaurismäki to irony is not surprising, but is surprisingly enough, not so much scholarly researched in the past. Irony appears in different disguises, largely depending on the function of it; what the ironist wants to achieve. Applying it can originate from an urge to complicate a matter of discussion but can also be applied to translate the oppositional stance the ironist wants to reveal. In the case of the enigmatic Kaurismäki his intentions or motivations in his choice of theme and subject are essential to the humour he adapts in telling his stories, but always remains somewhat vague. This thesis provides an image of how irony prevails and functions in his cinema on the base of a series of comparative case studies linked to three of his films: I Hired a Contract Killer (1990), The Man Without a Past (2002) and The Other Side of Hope (2017). It eventually sets out an idea of a filmmaker who, by applying irony, both distances though simultaneously engages himself with his audience in his own wayward fashion.Show less
Het doel van deze scriptie is het aantonen van verschillen tussen het beeld en de rol van de (alleenstaande) moeder in J-Horrorfilms en diens Amerikaanse remakes. Aan de hand van enkele korte...Show moreHet doel van deze scriptie is het aantonen van verschillen tussen het beeld en de rol van de (alleenstaande) moeder in J-Horrorfilms en diens Amerikaanse remakes. Aan de hand van enkele korte voorbeelden en case studies bestaande uit drie paar films zal er in deze scriptie worden beschreven wat deze verschillen precies zijn. Daarbij zal er worden gerefereerd aan relevante literatuur, waaronder Sarah Arnolds "Maternal Horror Film: Melodrama and Motherhood" (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013). De onderzochte filmparen zijn The Ring en Ringu, The Grudge en Ju-On en Dark Water en Honogurai Mizu no soko kara.Show less
Research master thesis | Latin American Studies (research) (MA)
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Nesta tese, proponho estudar Boi Neon (2015), o filme mais recente do diretor brasileiro Gabriel Mascaro, e Nossos Ossos (2013), do escritor brasileiro Marcelino Freire. Na forma de “close reading”...Show moreNesta tese, proponho estudar Boi Neon (2015), o filme mais recente do diretor brasileiro Gabriel Mascaro, e Nossos Ossos (2013), do escritor brasileiro Marcelino Freire. Na forma de “close reading” se analisará como se reconstrói e se reinventa o sujeito masculino na sociedade moderna, na qual surge uma convivência conflitiva de diversas formas de masculinidade(s) que se negociam interna e externamente dos sujeitos. As obras estão assombradas (“haunted”) pela tradição regional. Estar assombrado significa o quanto a sensação de ser é sempre perseguida ou assombrada por algo outro que impossibilita descrever, compreender ou fechar a existência em categorias definidas. Desestabiliza as noções de um eu independente e coerente. Surge, então, um potencial deconstrutivo de ruptura e abertura, oferecendo um espaço no qual “Outros” conceptuais e textuais podem emergir. Tanto Bezerra (2014) como Angeli e Machado (2017) relacionam Heleno, o protagonista de Nossos Ossos, ao herói clássico da antiguidade, na qual os amores masculinos se reconheciam oficialmente. Na época moderna, a homossexualidade de Heleno é um fator identitário problemático. Carvalho e De Moraes (2017), tratam Boi Neon a través do conceito da perspectiva do arquivo. Segundo eles, o arquivo, como conjunto de rastros que são ressignificados, é confrontado por uma masculinidade multifacetada, desafiando o paradigma heteronormativo estabelecido. Porém, é importante especificar a dinâmica e transformações da masculinidade em relação à tradição regional. Os protagonistas, ambos nordestinos ambulantes, transitam pela região do Nordeste. Há neles uma constante interferência identitária da tradição passada nordestina que notamos em peças canônicas da região do Nordeste, como Vidas Secas (1938) e Os Sertões (1902). Boi Neon e Nossos Ossos trazem novas representações da masculinidade tradicional nordestina, desafiando a criação de estereótipos e imagens fixas que atravessam o imaginário regional e nacional. Confrontam a tendência em direção a uma normatividade rígida, criando novas verdades que desafiam os modelos hegemônicos da masculinidade, feminidade e a repressão desta ordem dominante.Show less
The uprisings of 2011 started in Tunisia and impacted a lot of countries in the Middle East. The consequences can still be seen today. This thesis attempts to approach how these events have...Show moreThe uprisings of 2011 started in Tunisia and impacted a lot of countries in the Middle East. The consequences can still be seen today. This thesis attempts to approach how these events have impacted the cinema industry and in particular the place and representation of women in it.Show less
Muslims form the largest minority in India, making up for approximately 13% of the total population of India. However, Muslims are also victim to the stereotypes which the Bollywood film industry...Show moreMuslims form the largest minority in India, making up for approximately 13% of the total population of India. However, Muslims are also victim to the stereotypes which the Bollywood film industry reproduces. Cinema is a form of mass media, which can play a large role in the formation of someone’s opinion. With the increase of electronic mass media, and the availability of internet worldwide, the influence of cinema is greater than ever. Cinema has proven to be one of the most influential instruments in popular culture for shaping current trends. Due to its large influence on both culture and mind-set, cinema also serves as a mean for politicians to affect the values of the civilization. Taking into account the growing influence of cinema on both ‘public opinion’ and politics, the stereotyping of Muslims could have a negative influence on the public image of Muslims worldwide. This thesis will address the following hypothesis: The representation of Muslims in popular Bollywood cinema conforms to stereotypes and constructs their identity in a negative manner.Show less
This thesis analyzes how the representation of Anton Chigurh in Joel and Ethan Coen’s neo-noir film No Country for Old Men (2007), translates a postmodern obscurity of good and evil and how this...Show moreThis thesis analyzes how the representation of Anton Chigurh in Joel and Ethan Coen’s neo-noir film No Country for Old Men (2007), translates a postmodern obscurity of good and evil and how this phenomenon characterizes a post 9/11 American society. While analyzing various aspects of the film, most importantly its dramatis personae, it becomes evident that representations of serial murder as the portrayal of serial killer Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, alongside Ed Tom Bell and Llewelyn Moss, in addition to the film’s narrative and dialogue, contribute to the ambiguation of the dividing line between good and evil, leaving the serial killer at a borderline state. The confusion surrounding the serial killer is in an era that has been marked by a postmodern ambiance of unpredictability, angst, and perplexity. As such, representations of the serial killer epitomize and challenge the complexities and the growing moral dilemma in contemporary post 9/11 American society.Show less
This thesis looks into the various ways of how postrevolutionary Iranian filmmakers use visual, thematic and artistic tools to deliver criticism in the modern highly theocratic Iranian society. By...Show moreThis thesis looks into the various ways of how postrevolutionary Iranian filmmakers use visual, thematic and artistic tools to deliver criticism in the modern highly theocratic Iranian society. By describing historical backgrounds and showing paralels with other Iranian art forms such as literature and poetry and comparing Iranian art cinema with Western art cinema such as neorealism, these patterns and intentions are made clear.Show less
This thesis provides a study of the subversive cinematographic practices in Spain during the period of political repression under Francoism (1939-1975). In foregrounding the non-conformist cinema...Show moreThis thesis provides a study of the subversive cinematographic practices in Spain during the period of political repression under Francoism (1939-1975). In foregrounding the non-conformist cinema of the time, it is my hope that this thesis contributes to the reconstruction of an immediate past in order to fight against the loss of memory, instigated by the dominant accounts of the history of that period, including that of the Spanish cinema. This thesis aims, then, to bring to light the repression that was encouraged by the state within the purview of film in order to hinder freedom of speech, and to revive a period of Spanish film history in which some films must be seen, I argue, as an instrument for social criticism. Against this background of repression I have, firstly, drawn attention on the institutional mechanisms and administrative procedures of censorship and propaganda – through which the state exercised control over the film making practices –, and the propaganda films made by directors who followed the principles of the regime, particularly focusing on the case of José Luis Sáenz de Heredia. Secondly, I have focused on two different lines of dissidence, i.e. internal and external, through the works of Falangist director José Antonio Nieves Conde, and the collaborative works of Luis García Berlanga and Juan Antonio Bardem, respectively.Show less
This thesis aims to analyse the depiction of LGBT characters in contemporary South Korean Cinema through a technical analysis of the 2006 movie "King and the Clown" and the 2012 movie "Two Weddings...Show moreThis thesis aims to analyse the depiction of LGBT characters in contemporary South Korean Cinema through a technical analysis of the 2006 movie "King and the Clown" and the 2012 movie "Two Weddings and a Funeral" in combination with theories regarding (South Korea's) LGBT community forming and media representation.Show less
