Fatherhood, Self-Sacrifice and Alternative Futures: A Postfeminist Reading of Interstellar
Love, Hope and Faith in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014) Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014) is a cinematic epic which delves into the vastness of space-time and the depths of the human condition. Beyond its scientific and philosophical musings, the film intricately weaves themes of love, sex, marriage, single parenthood, and gender dynamics, and the survival […]
Miyazaki Hayao’s Nausicaä from the Valley of the Winds (1984)
Released in Japan on 11. March 1984, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds 『風の谷のナウシカ』 is a 117-minutes animated epic science-fiction fantasy adventure movie, directed by Miyazaki Hayao 宮崎駿 (born 1941) and based on a part of the seven-volume manga by Miyazaki himself published in Animage from February 1982 until March 1994, and a […]
Emma: A Victorian Romance (2005-2007): Warm Femininity and the Quest for Self-Love
One animation television series from Japan’s placid 2000s is taken as case study to critically observe the dialectics of femininity in late modernity, and its ideological transformation from an emotional space of warmth, kindness and receptivity into a mental dystopia of cold calculation, disenchantment and self-rejection: the 24-episodes in two acts television animation series […]
Memories like Raindrops (1991): Conformism as an Individual Choice
Okajima Taeko 岡島タエ子 is a single, 27-year old Office Lady, who decides to spend one week in the prefecture Yamagata in the year 1982, so that she can experience the ‘authentic’ life in the village. During this journey which turns out to be a trip down the memory line, Taeko, the main character of […]
Black Jack (2004-2006) and the Beauty of Existence
Beyond Identity Politics and Cultural Imperialism This essay analyzes on one animation series which seems to reflect to its utmost the convulsions of the Japanese society after the big economical disenchantment in the early 1990s: the 62-episode television animation series Black Jack (Burakku Jakku, 2004-2006, director Tezuka Makoto). Black Jack with the target audience […]
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013): Transcendent Predictability
Nowadays, it is a common endeavor to search for answers to general questions about humanity and nature, femininity and masculinity, war and peace, technology and emotions, truth and integrity beyond the typical Western dualism of good-and-evil paradigms. Looking across cultures, times and spaces, in a proactive effort to accomplish different results to the same […]
The Absurdity of Progress: Stink Bomb (1995)
When Humans Become Their Worst Enemies Stink Bomb (1995), directed by Tensai Okamura, is the second animated short movies in the acclaimed tripartite anthology Memories, produced by the legendary Ôtomo Katsuhiro on manga works by him. While the other two animated short movies, Magnetic Rose and Cannon Fodder, delve into space opera and dystopian militarism, […]
Single Fatherhood and Self-Actualization: A Feminist Reading of Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010)
Love, Masculinity and Redemption Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010) Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010) stands as a landmark in contemporary cinema, renowned for its complex narrative structure revealed beyond the high-concept premise of dream heists, philosophical depth, and groundbreaking special effects. Inception strikingly delves into the realms of dreams and reality, pushing the boundaries of […]
The Romanticization of History: Anastasia (1997)
Journeys of Initiation: Femininity and Self-Stylization Sometimes, the observation of popular releases and their impact on audiences leads to profound insights into the mechanisms of history – more particularly, of recent, palpable history – which might possibly deliver understandings of times yet to come. One such popular release is the animated musical movie […]
Remembering the Future: Tom Cruise and the Not-So-Quiet Revolution of Science Fiction Action Cinema by Mid-2010s as Seen in Oblivion (2013)
Introduction Science fiction has always been a fertile ground for exploring complex ideas about humanity’s future, technological advancement, and existential dilemmas. By mid-2010s, science fiction action cinema had already evolved into a sophisticated genre that blended high-concept storytelling with visually stunning, technically advanced cinematography, often anchored by powerful performances from leading actors. This era […]