Comedy
Sub-genre: Absurdist Film
What is Absurdist Film and when did it begin?
Common Characteristics:
- Absurdism is the belief that humans live within a chaotic universe that does not have any sole purpose.
- Absurdism as a concept dates back to the early 20th century and it was movement that became prominent in the 1950s.
Common Characteristics:
- Humor is a large part of the genre.
- Absurdist humor is different from a typical comedy
- Focuses greatly on the chaotic aspect of life and unpredictable juxtapositions
- Absurdism in film opens a door to more philosophical and thought provoking stories.
- Absurdism is widely used in post-war stories as a way to cope with the trauma war brings with their survivors.
- Comedy is one way that absurdist films cope with post-war trauma but another way is by raw thrillers and horror films as well as science fiction
Alfred Hitchcock's films:
Examples of Absurdist films:
1. "Dr. Strangelove"
2. "Synecdoche, New York"
3. "Two Days, One Night"
- Alfred Hitchcock was a film director who had a peak in his career in the 1950s with his film "Dial M For Murder". After releasing that film, his fame grew larger.
- Hitchcock is one of the most popular film directors who dabbled in absurdism.
- His first absurdist film was "The Birds" which was released in 1963. It is a horror -thriller that focuses on a series of random violent bird attacks in California.
- the birds attacking civilians is symbolic for the entrapment of animals for humans on use so the film questions what would happen if it were the other way around
Examples of Absurdist films:
1. "Dr. Strangelove"
- 1964 film that studies the nature of human violence
- An absurd satire of the Cold War
- The main satire is the one on the MAD theory which was in serious development during the Cold War era by scientists
- The MAD theory (Mutually Assured Destruction) is a military strategy where nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides of a war will cause total destruction on both sides.
- The film showcases the extent of human violence and the lengths humans will go to in order to receive power.
- The main satire is the one on the MAD theory which was in serious development during the Cold War era by scientists
2. "Synecdoche, New York"
- Released in 2008
- The story follows a theater director who starts living in a studio warehouse that happens to be a replica of New York City. The director chooses to live this new life path so he can search for the ultimate truth of life.
- The film itself is a complex soul-crushing story with that existential crisis that highlights absurdism
3. "Two Days, One Night"
- A French film, released in 2014
- The story follows a Sandra, a woman who is on the brink of losing her job unless she convinces her co-workers to give up their bonuses so she can get that money for herself.
- She goes through quite a bit mentally and she is struggling to figure out how to keep her job and her sanity.
- The film is considered absurdist because of it's bizarre nature and the in-depth of the extents the woman takes to get said job back
| absurdist_film.pdf |