CINEJ Cinema Journal
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Joyland: A Cinematic Representation of Pakistani Patriarchal Joint Family
Full text linkJoyland, a 2022 Pakistani film that gained popularity worldwide but got banned in Pakistan, depicted the problems of patriarchy, suppression of individuals’ self-identity, intervention in sexual and reproduction liberty of married couples, taboos associated with women employment, household participation, and sexual pleasure. This study adopts multimodal discourse analysis which critically discusses the patriarchal influence of Pakistani men in a joint family system, by purposefully selected scenes of the film that showcase the characters’ depiction of being dominated by the ideology of a patriarchal mindset. It further analyzes the role of a man, the eldest in the family, who decides everyone’s fate, irrespective of gender, financial status, or sibling positions in the family. This study also sheds light on how the sexual lives of individuals get affected through joint family pressures, which results in disoriented sexual relationships and indecisive preferences between partners.
Evaluating Turkish Comedy Cinema From the Perspective of a Female Audience
Full text linkThis study, which examines the role of demographic factors in the reception of Turkish comedy films by female audiences, aims to examine female audiences\u27 perceptions of Turkish comedy cinema in a multidimensional manner, encompassing participant profiles and viewing habits, character traits and representations in films, cultural and national comparisons, humor styles, viewing conditions and social context, film style and technical elements, and semantic and emotional evaluations. It also explores how these evaluations differ based on demographic variables. The absence of a study of this scope and sample size at the national or international level in the literature review strengthens the research\u27s potential to make an original contribution to both the academic field and the Turkish film industry. Within the scope of the research, data were collected from 750 volunteer participants through online and face-to-face methods in 2024 and 699 valid surveys were analyzed by eliminating incomplete or incorrectly completed forms. The reliability of the scale was tested using Cronbach\u27s Alpha coefficient and was found to be highly reliable. The data obtained were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test in SPSS Statistics 28. The findings show that female audiences\u27 preferences, perceptions and evaluations of comedy films differ significantly according to demographic variables such as age, education and income level
The Aesthetics of Imperfection: A Theoretical Evaluation of the Meaning Layers of Glitch Aesthetics in Communication Design and Cinema
Full text linkGlitch aesthetics based on digital errors and visual noise, has become a notable phenomenon in contemporary art, design, and visual culture, challenging the notion of digital perfection. This multi-layered qualitative study examines classic glitch works from early digital art experiments and contemporary glitch applications emerging in new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the metaverse. The research aims to analyze how glitch aesthetics generates meaning in the field of communication design by comparing historical examples with various modern digital contexts. To achieve this goal, the study employs content analysis, case studies of significant glitch artworks (including “JPEGged Mona Lisa,” Kanye West\u27s “Welcome to Heartbreak” music video, and Rosa Menkman\u27s digital works), and conceptual evaluation methods to thoroughly investigate the aesthetic and communicative layers of glitch visuals. The findings show that glitch remains relevant in the digital age both as a critical art practice and an aesthetic strategy, continuing to produce multi-layered meanings in the fields of digital culture, communication design, and cinema. Overall, the study emphasizes the enduring importance of glitch as an intentional creative strategy and clearly demonstrates its impacts on communication design, digital art practices and cinema
Zuhal: A Portrait of Urban Individuals Through Female Perspective
Full text linkAn apartment in the center of the metropolis, a woman living in this apartment and a cat sound that no one can hear, only the woman can hear. In the film Zuhal; the loneliness, burnout, fatigue and alienation of urban individuals are conveyed effectively with these few elements. In addition, each character in the film, which tells the stories of not only Zuhal but also her neighbors, offers an example of the metropolitan type personality. These exhausted and tired urban individuals live a life far from their inner world, alienated from themselves and their surroundings. This study focuses on the individual living in today\u27s cities, using sociological and feminist analysis methods through the film Zuhal (2021). Present-day’s individual lives in Bauman’s “liquid modernity” which is quite different than Simmel’s “the metropolitan individual”. According to Han, an individual in present-day’s “achievement society” that is dominated by speed and positivity in late modern era, grapples with psychological problems such as depression, attention deficit, hyperactivity and burnout syndrome. Furthermore, being a woman in this society brings additional challenges to the individual. The film’s protagonist, Zuhal, is in such a psychological state; she is distant from herself, alienated from others including herself, worn, exhausted and tired. Through the study, it is emphasized that the psychological state that urban individual experiences is a consequence of the social structure rather than being an individual one
“I hope I don’t die before my child”: The representation of autism in Turkish films
Full text linkThis study aims to examine how autism is represented in Turkish films. Three films featuring a character with autism were analyzed through document analysis. The following four themes were reached in the study: (1) behaviors specific to autism, (2) the family of the character with autism, (3) society’s perspective on autism, and (4) the representation of the character with autism in the film. Notably, the films focus on the difficulties experienced by the character with autism, the problems experienced in the family, and the difficulties in accepting autism. In addition, all the films have melodramatic structures, and the families of individuals with autism experience much more difficulties than ordinary people
Frank Sinatra: Jazz Actor
Full text linkMost of the literature about Frank Sinatra is about his musical career and barroom brawls. Those books and articles generally portray the singer as a man who expressed the contradictions of his inner life-his tenderness and romanticism, as well as his aggressive and menacing macho side--through his music. In regard to Sinatra\u27s film acting career, every note he sings, every line he recites, and every gesture he makes demonstrate Stanislavsky\u27s central credo that an actor must live the part every moment he\u27s playing it. Although Sinatra never formally studied acting at the Actors Studio, he did rehearse every night with Montgomery Clift while shooting From Here to Eternity. Those "Methodist" lessons built his Oscar-winning performance around "affective memories," or "sense memories," storehouses of unconscious emotions from his personal live, in order to construct the fictional character Maggio. And, if nothing else, Sinatra expressed his inner struggles in both his singing and his film roles
Representation of India Pakistan tensions in Bollywood (2015-2020): Case study of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tiger Zinda Hai films
Full text linkTensions between India and Pakistan is one of the important issues in South Asia. The tensions between these two countries have affected many political, security, military and cultural issues in this part of Asia. These tensions can be seen in many governmental and private institutions in these countries including mass media. One of these institutions is cinema, which is one of the powerful tools for representing the tensions. Many efforts have been made to investigate the representation of political tensions in cinema. In this paper, by explaining some of the articles in this regard, an attempt has been made to examine two Indian films, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tiger Zinda Hai in representing India-Pakistan tensions. Since the components of religion and identity are among the factors identified in these films, constructivism theory has been used to elaborate the components. Based on the results, these films have tried to bold the common norms between India and Pakistan by relying on religious and identity pluralism
Masochistic Performance of Scheherazade: A Multimodal Analysis of Prince Charming
Full text linkThis study attempts to highlight the embedded masochist aesthetics supporting the masochistic patterns in a Pakistani short film Prince Charming (2021), directed by Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui, a Pakistani actor, film producer, director and television host. The focus remains on female protagonist, Scheherazade’s performative masochistic proclivities in an unsatisfactory marital relationship. This research takes Freud’s notion of repetitive compulsion as its referential point that triggers masochism and identifies Scheherazade’s urges and desires. Though masochism is about gaining the pleasure while bearing the pain, in the case of the film the pain is self-inflicted in the form of silence, inexpressibility, self-talks and romantic void between Scheherazade and her husband Akbar. This research offers a stand point to comprehend the subliminal threads of visual masochism which are apparently hidden in the film but are the prospective hooks to elaborate the psychological suffering of the character. The research propagates the idea that masochist aesthetics are nevertheless the stepping stone for pointing out the masochist self of Scheherazade, well exhibited through her performance
The Possibility of Impossibility: Reading The Watermelon Woman with Derrida and Adorno
Full text linkHermeneutic criticism of The Watermelon Woman has been unable to reconcile the film’s closing affirmation of identity and possibility with the narrative that precedes it and especially with the acknowledgement that Fae Richards is not real. An approach derived from the commonality Derrida saw between his work and Adorno’s can show how the film narrates the fiction of identity and the possibility of impossibility
Woman’s Cinema on the Sri Lankan Silver Screen and the "Other" Female Filmmakers
Full text link Sri Lanka is a small-scale industry in the Global South. The hegemonic patriarchy of the industry, accelerated by various industrial, socio-political, and cultural matters directly affects the representation of women’s cinema in the country. This study aims to look at the female representation throughout the entire evolution of Sri Lankan women’s cinema and the state of their filmmaking practices, which is a rare study area. Further, the examination of the historical context and current trends of this paper will further seek to provide insights into the future development of the representation of women in Sri Lankan cinema.