Citation: Hodgson, Philip (2013) Oppositional spaces: An evaluation of post-nationalist film theory using the work of migrant, exilic and diasporic filmmakers. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University. This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/26289/ Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University’s research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. Single copies of full items can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must not be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holder. The full policy is available online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.html OPPOSITIONAL SPACES: AN EVALUATION OF POST-NATIONALIST FILM THEORY USING THE WORK OF MIGRANT, EXILIC AND DIASPORIC FILMMAKERS Philip John Hodgson PhD 2013 OPPOSITIONAL SPACES: AN EVALUATION OF POST-NATIONALIST FILM THEORY USING THE WORK OF MIGRANT, EXILIC AND DIASPORIC FILMMAKERS Philip John Hodgson A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Northumbria at Newcastle for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Research undertaken at the Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences November 2013 2 Abstract This thesis evaluates the usefulness of post-nationalist theory in developing and understanding existing debates around national cinemas in film studies. Whilst a great deal of research has focused on the significance and importance of national cinemas, changes in the international landscape have offered challenges to the value of national cinema as a concept. To date, these challenges have been primarily addressed within discussion of transnational cinema which, although useful, has yet to fully interrogate the power relationships between nations. The importance of post-nationalist theory in this regard is that it deliberately seeks out texts which explore these power structures and often focuses on contact zones in which the dominant nationalism, and therefore national cinema, is being overtly opposed and undermined. The central question addressed by this thesis is ‘How can post-nationalist theory advance cinematic debates concerning national and transnational cinemas?’ In order to address this, the films of several migrant, exilic and diasporic filmmakers will be discussed as case studies. This is because their hyphenated identities offer access to a greater number of nationalisms, and also highlight a state of rootlessness in which oppositional positions can be more easily adopted. The filmmakers discussed are: Fatih Akin, whose work offers representations of migrant figures and literal border crossings; Ferzan Ozpetek, who expands these migrant representations to include issues of sexuality and class as non- official nationalisms; Atom Egoyan, whose cinematic style opposes cinematic forms, conventions and nations; Michael Haneke, whose films engage in an overtly oppositional style; and Gurinder Chadha, as a filmmaker who not only uses gender to advance these debates, but also enters them into discussion with mainstream cinema. The thesis will apply close textual analysis to each of the directors’ work in order to illustrate how post-nationalist theory can be used to understand the oppositional spaces they create in relation to nations and national cinemas. This will demonstrate not only the relevance of post-nationalist theory to cinema, but also develop current understanding of the strengths and limitations of the conceptual and theoretical work associated with national and transnational cinemas. 3 Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................ 6 AUTHOR’S DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ 7 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY ........................................................ 16 LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................................................... 16 National and Transnational Cinemas ..................................................................................................... 17 Migrant Cinema ......................................................................................................................................... 29 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................................... 34 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................ 35 Post-nationalist Theory ............................................................................................................................. 35 THESIS STRUCTURE ......................................................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER TWO: CINEMATIC CONTACT ZONES – THE FILMS OF FATIH AKIN ............................ 52 INTRODUCTION: FATIH AKIN, NATIONAL CINEMA(S) AND HYPHENATED IDENTITY ......................................... 52 INTERSTITIAL FIGURES AND INTERSTITIAL NARRATIVES: KURZ UND SCHMERZLOS ....................................... 55 UNHAPPY HOMECOMINGS: GEGEN DIE WAND ................................................................................................ 62 FREE BORDER CROSSINGS: IM JULI AND SOLINO ........................................................................................... 69 THE COMPLEXITY OF OPPOSITIONAL SPACE: AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE ....................................................... 74 CONCLUSION: THE NATIONAL IDENTITY OF THE FILMS OF FATIH AKIN .......................................................... 82 CHAPTER THREE: NON-OFFICIAL NATIONALISMS – THE FILMS OF FERZAN OZPETEK ......... 88 INTRODUCTION: FERZAN OZPETEK, GENDER, CLASS AND SEXUALITY .......................................................... 88 UN-MASKING OPPOSITIONAL SPACE: LA FATE IGNORATI ............................................................................... 91 SEXUALITY AND NATIONAL DOMESTIC SPACE: HAMAM .................................................................................. 97 NON-OFFICIAL HISTORIES: HAREM SUARE ................................................................................................... 103 HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY NON-OFFICIAL NATIONALISMS: LE FINESTRE DI FRONTE ..................... 109 THE BODY AS OPPOSITIONAL DOMESTIC SPACE: CUORE SACRO ............................................................... 115 CONCLUSION: UN-MASKING AND RE-MASKING THE IMPULSES OF CONFORMITY AND RESISTANCE IN THE FILMS OF FERZAN OZPETEK .......................................................................................................................... 120 CHAPTER FOUR: CINEMATIC OPPOSITIONAL SPACE – THE FILMS OF ATOM EGOYAN ....... 124 INTRODUCTION: ATOM EGOYAN AND THE ACCENTED CINEMA OF MIGRANT FILMMAKERS ......................... 124 TECHNOLOGY AND FAMILIAL OPPOSITIONS: FAMILY VIEWING AND ADORATION ......................................... 128 IDENTITY, HISTORY AND CINEMA: CALENDAR AND ARARAT ......................................................................... 136 OPPOSING THE GAZE: NEXT OF KIN AND FELICIA’S JOURNEY ..................................................................... 144 TRAUMA AND OPPOSITIONAL SPACES IN DOMESTIC CINEMA: SPEAKING PARTS, EXOTICA, THE ADJUSTER AND THE SWEET HEREAFTER ........................................................................................................................ 151 CONCLUSION: IDENTIFYING POST-NATIONALIST ISSUES WITHIN OPPOSITIONAL SPACES IN THE FILMS OF ATOM EGOYAN ............................................................................................................................................... 157 CHAPTER FIVE: ELECTIVE OPPOSITIONAL SPACE – THE FILMS OF MICHAEL HANEKE ...... 163 INTRODUCTION: MICHAEL HANEKE’S OPPOSITIONAL STYLE ........................................................................ 163 DEPICTING NATIONAL ISOLATION: HANEKE’S GLACIATION TRILOGY ............................................................ 167 THE INTRODUCTION OF OTHERNESS: CODE INCONNU: RÉCIT INCOMPLET DE DIVERS VOYAGES ............... 174 4 HIDDEN NATIONALISMS: CACHÉ .................................................................................................................... 180 INTERROGATING THE NATIONAL PAST: DAS WEIßE BAND - EINE DEUTSCHE KINDERGESCHICHTE ............. 186 INTERROGATIVE TEXTS AND OPPOSITIONAL SPACES: LA PIANISTE, LE TEMPS DU LOUP AND FUNNY GAMES / FUNNY GAMES US ....................................................................................................................................... 192 CONCLUSION: OPPOSING THE AUDIENCE IN THE FILMS OF MICHAEL