(Post)traumatic Oscillations: A Preliminary Exploration of an Affective Dynamic
Klaudia Rachubińska
klaudia.rachubinska@ispan.plInstitute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8240-0643
Abstract
Recent decades have witnessed a renewed interest in trauma, both as a subject of scholarly inquiry and as a theme in film and popular culture. A significant portion of contemporary cinema, particularly mainstream productions, focus on how trauma shapes the character’s backstory – a ubiquitous and reductive approach that treats trauma as a mere plot device, replacing nuanced character development with a simplified ‘trauma plot.’ In contrast, Lynne Ramsay’s films offer a different approach, portraying characters in the aftermath of trauma and exploring their experiences not only through narrative but also through a unique cinematic style. The author of the article employs Jill Bennett’s framework for analysing images of trauma to examine how the formal elements of the film We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011) reflect the (post)traumatic experience through the affective dynamic of oscillation. Furthermore, she explores how this oscillatory dynamic facilitates particular modes of empathic engagement, recreating in the audience an affective experience structurally akin to that of trauma.
Keywords:
trauma, (post)traumatic experience, affective dynamic, oscillation, Lynne RamsayReferences
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Authors
Klaudia Rachubińskaklaudia.rachubinska@ispan.pl
Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8240-0643
Film and visual culture scholar, graduate of the Faculty of Psychology and the Faculty of Polish Studies, University of Warsaw. Affiliated with the Department of Film Studies, Audiovisual Arts and Anthropology of Culture at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Editor of the academic film journal Kwartalnik Filmowy (2022-), former editor of the Polish film quarterly Pleograf. Kwartalnik Akademii Polskiego Filmu (2018-2021), member of the Polish Society for Film and Media Studies. Winner of the Grand Prix of the XXIII Krzysztof Mętrak Competition for young film critics. She currently works on her PhD thesis on the images of women in popular music.
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