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Cine de choque: image culture, the absence of the patriarch and violence in Alejandro Amenábar's "Abre los ojos" (1997)

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published
<mark>Journal publication date</mark>1/06/2011
<mark>Journal</mark>New Cinemas
Issue number1
Volume9
Number of pages16
Pages (from-to)19-34
Publication StatusPublished
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

This article proposes that Alejandro Amenábar's Abre los ojos (1997) is an example of what I term cine de choque, a specifically Hispanophone category of film in which the word choque – translatable as “crash”, “shock” or “clash” in English – informs both theme and aesthetics. In this particular example of cine de choque, an aesthetic is created on the basis of a structure in which lulls are almost as important as the film's crash, shocks and clashes. The film's lull–choque–lull aesthetic, I argue, emphasizes the allure of image and false explanations in the life of the protagonist César. This allure is partly explained by the absence of authoritative, patriarchal figures: both his parents are dead and the older male figures which compete for his attention prove to be unreliable. The resulting evocation of a culturally and historically orphaned youth culture in Spain helps to contextualize the film's acts of violence.