Inflicted Viewing: Examining Moral Masochism, Empathy, and the Frustration of Trauma Cinema

<p>The contemporary turn of psychoanalytic film analysis has opened a new mode of understanding cinematic language. However, rejecting classical psychoanalysis would be premature. This thesis will place the two in conjunction, specifically through Sigmund Freud’s conceptualization of moral masochism and Wilfred Bion’s theory of thinking. Through four films: <em>Una, The Tale, The Tribe</em>, and <em>Son of Saul</em> I explore the affective nature of films that depict trauma and why one would gravitate towards such upsetting material. The spectator who seeks to be frustrated is not looking to harm oneself but to process this frustration in order to expand their emotional experience.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Film Studies

Year

2019

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Kira

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kelli Fuery
• Ian Barnard
• Patrick Fuery

• Film
• Psychoanalysis
• trauma
• Freud
• Moral Masochism
• Film and Media Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/film_studies_theses/6

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.chapman.edu:film_studies_theses-1005