For Times of Crisis

Wojciech Sitek

Abstract

Sitek’s review of the book by Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek Neo-noir. Ciemne zwierciadło czasów kryzysu [Neo-noir. Dark Reflection of the Times of Crisis] (2015). He argues that contemporary undefined and multi­form crises touch every inhabitant of the global village, and the book by Magdalena Kempna-Pieniążek, the first Polish monograph devoted to the area of neo-noir cinema, is a film based analysis of this phenomenon. The author’s diagnosis connected to the neo-noir cinema are accompanied by necessary clarifications in terms of definitions, typology and time periods. The author of the book summarizes and compares positions, traditions and possible research approaches to the problem, which leads her to formulate the key theses of the publication. According to her from neo-noir productions there emerges a continuous feeling of confusion, which forces one to redefine terms related to identity, gender roles, perception of the world and humanity. Sitek in his review touches not only on the typical elements of review related to the theme and the structure of the publication, but also on the question of editing. In particular he appreciated the richness of the illustrations and the book’s accessibility not only to the readers representing the scientific community, but also ordinary cinema fans.