Troubled Everyday: The Aesthetics of Violence and the Everyday in European Art Cinema

Description

Extreme violence in contemporary European art cinema is generally interpreted for its affective potential, but what about the significance of the everyday that so often frames and forms the majority of these films? Why do the sudden moments of violence that punctuate films like Catherine Breillat’s Fat Girl (2001), Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible (2002) and Markus Schleinzer’s Michael (2011) seem so reliant on everyday routines and settings for their impact? Addressing these questions through a series of case-studies, and considering notorious films in their historical and philosophical context, Troubled Everyday offers the first detailed examination of the relationship between violence and the everyday in European art cinema. It calls for a re-evaluation of what gives these films such affective force, and such a prolonged grip on our imagination. Contents Acknowledgements List of Figures 1 ‘A lightning that illuminates the banal’: Violence and the Everyday 2 Everyday Moments 3 Everyday Style 4 Everyday Structures/Everyday Language 5 Return to the Everyday Conclusion: Looking Back Works Cited Filmography Index