Dr David Sorfa, Film Studies, University of Edinburgh The Force of Metaphor: Ritual Sacrifice and Fluid in the Films of Michael Haneke Thursday 13th of March 2014, 5.30pm, Cinema Room, 14 Buccleuch Place Dr David Sorfa, Film Studies, University of Edinburgh Acts of violence, self harm and cruelty in Michael Haneke’s films are central to the director’s insistence on the fragility of the human body and the way in which the breaking of the boundary between the inside and the outside of this body functions as a threat, as a sign of death and, somehow, as a sign of the vitality of life. In this paper I will explore the various ways in which Haneke uses and represents bodily and other fluids as an element that breaks the boundaries between death and life, that destroys the social contract but which is also a paradoxical medium of communication. I argue that Haneke sees bodily fluids as metaphorical messages sent from one isolated human being to another, figural and literal ejaculations if you will. I will also explore the religious tone in Haneke's work, especially as a sort of secular animism seeking redemption through ritual sacrifice. One of my broader aims here is to explore in more detail how - or whether - metaphor works in film. Edinburgh Film Seminar This article was published on 2024-08-13
