This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Absurd Black Humour as Social Criticism in Contemporary European Cinema Eszter Simor Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh 2019 Submitted in satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (PhD) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non- commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements i Declaration of Own Work iii Abstract iv Lay Summary v INTRODUCTION The Absurd and the Critique of Neoliberalism in Cinema 1 Literature Review 4 The Absurd 4 Three Theories of Humour 6 Comedy as a Genre: The Slapstick and the Screwball 12 Comedy as a Mode: Irony 18 Different Forms of Ironic Expression: Pastiche, Parody and Satire 21 Surrealist Cinema and the Blackness of the Absurd 23 Ironic Expression 25 Defining European Cinema 32 Crisis as Critique of Capitalism 38 Neoliberalism and the Absurd 40 Summary of Chapters 46 CHAPTER 1 Absurd Sexuality: Irony, Sexism and Magic in Paolo Sorrentino’s The 52 Great Beauty (2013) and Youth (2015) Irony 55 Being and Having a Body 60 Sexism 64 Magic 72 CHAPTER 2 Absurd Politics: Crisis and Magic as Subversive Political Engagement in 77 The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and other Yorgos Lanthimos Films Ironic Pretence 78 Absurd Word 80 “Don’t You understand? It’s a Metaphor” 81 Crisis in Greek Cinema 84 Critique of Capitalism 87 The Myth of Nationalism 88 The Ironies of Capitalist Realism and Disaster Capitalism 91 The Sorcerer’s Magic 97 Supernatural Politics 98 CHAPTER 3 Absurd Identity: Excessive Human, Lacking Animal in Nicolette 100 Krebitz’s Wild (2016) and Julia Ducournau’s Raw (2016) The Absurd as the Gap Between “Being” and “Having” a Body 104 Being a Body: The Hubris of Human Animal in Raw 105 Having a Body: The Excessive Human in Wild 112 Pleasure and Enjoyment 116 Lack and Excess 116 Being and Having a Body: The Comparison of the Two Films 123 CHAPTER 4 Absurd Death: Suicide as an Existentialist Motif in Jessica Hausner’s 125 Amour Fou (2014) and Ildikó Enyedi’s On Body and Soul (2018) Absurdity and Suicide 128 “Does the Absurd Dictate Death?”: Camus on Suicide 131 Authenticity 137 An Existentialist Reading of Amour Fou and On Body and Soul Through the 138 Representation of Suicide Unsatisfactory Solutions 171 CHAPTER 5 Humour, Politics and the Absurd in Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, 2016) 173 Humour as “Anti-social”, “Irrational” and as a “Pressure Valve” 176 Genres of Comedy 184 Anxieties about Globalisation 198 “Mosaic” Identities 201 “Don’t Lose the Humour” 203 A New Comic Mode: Awkwardness 205 CONCLUSION The Absurd as Social Criticism 215 The Deadpan as a Political Act 217 The Solution of Critical Analysis 221 Can the Absurd Be Funny? 223 Happiness Is a Fantasy 225 Concluding the Conclusion 226 Bibliography 227 Filmography 244 Acknowledgments I am immensely grateful to my supervisor Dr David Sorfa, whose expertise was instrumental in writing this thesis. Our discussions had an invaluable impact on my academic work and I truly appreciate the time, insight and expert knowledge Dr Sorfa contributed to this project. I am thankful for all the professional help, for being treated as a colleague and for all the opportunities to take part in extracurricular programs. Whether I needed assistance with thesis writing, conference papers, academic articles or talks, Dr Sorfa was always there to help. I am also truly grateful for the opportunity to teach Introduction to European Cinema, which was an invaluable career experience. I could not have imagined a more excellent mentor. I am grateful to my other supervisors Dr Daniel Yacavone and Dr Jamie Chambers, and examiners Dr Pasquale Iannone and Dr Charlotte Gleghorn, for their expert comments and suggestions on this thesis. To AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship for their generous scholarship funding. To Dr András Bálint Kovács for the film studies knowledge I gained during my Master’s Program at the ELTE. To Attila Varró for suggesting that I pursue a PhD program at The University of Edinburgh. To my Houston mentor and fellow film-lover Marian Luntz for her friendship and indefatigable professional support. To Dr Karen Fang for her kindness and for allowing me to partake in her academic endeavours. To Dr Owen Evans and Studies in European Cinema for publishing my paper. To the Film-Philosophy journal and its conferences for the stimulating readings and talks. To Gusztáv Schubert and Filmvilág for the opportunity to publish and be a film journalist. To my fellow researchers in Edinburgh, especially to my good friends Chantal Bertalanffy, Erden Göktepe and Ian Anderson. I am not only grateful for their friendship and support but also for the exhilarating talks and provocative ideas that shaped this work. Huge thanks to Chantal for all the love, the unforgettable Arthur’s Seat walks and for organizing a festival together; to Erden for always being there and taking care of me; to Ian for his excellent sense of humour and for the fun times we had, especially when we all gathered at his house. To Marianna Pavan, the kindest flatmate. To Aran Ward Sell for his help in finalizing this project. To Inciting Sparks for providing a platform to share ideas and for giving me new friends. To everybody who took part and supported News From Home Film Festival by coming to our events, with a special mention to Richard Elliott for his hard work. To all the scholars and academics I read with great interest, especially Dr Todd McGowan, whose work heavily influenced this thesis. To all my favourite film directors (included in this work or not) for instilling in me the love of cinema. i I am immensely and unequivocally grateful to my parents, for always supporting me on every ambitious project I ever set out do (including this PhD). To my Dad for encouraging me and providing the means for me to entirely devote myself to my work; and to my Mum for being endlessly curious in providing feedback and for inspiring the ideas underpinning this thesis. To my brother, Ádám, for always keeping my spirits up with his good humour and for visiting me every year I spent in Edinburgh (the most of anyone!). To my good friend, Emma Janda for giving me the kindest presents and always warming my heart. To my cousin, Tamás Kasik, for inspiring me with his kindness, perseverance and creativity. To my grandparents, for always being proud of me regardless of what I do. To all my family members and friends in Hungary, The United States and France. Végtelen és teljesszívű hálával tartozom szüleimnek, amiért mindig és minden módon támogattak bármilyen ambiciózus projektbe fogtam (beleértve ezt a doktorit). Apukámnak amiért bátorított és lehetővé tette, hogy ennek a munkának szenteljem magam; és Anyukámnak amiért határtalan érdeklődésével mindig az elsőszámú főszerkesztőm, valamint az ötletért, ami ezt a dolgozatot inspirálta. Testvéremnek, Ádámnak, amiért humorával mindig feldobja a kedvem és amiért minden évben meglátogatott Edinburghban (ő a legtöbbször!). Kedves barátnőmnek, Janda Emmának, amiért a legaranyosabb ajándékokkal mindig megmelengeti a szívem. Unokatestvéremnek, Kasik Tominak, aki kedvességével, kitartásával és kreativitásával inspirál. Nagyszüleimnek, amiért mindig büszkék rám, bármit is csinálok. Az összes családtagomnak és barátomnak Magyarországon, Amerikában és Franciaországban. To my husband Walter, with all of my love and all of my gratitude, always. Thank you for always believing in me and for laughing with me while watching the most absurd films. A heartfelt thank you for everything words cannot express. I could not have done it without you. Thank you. ii Declaration of Own Work I declare that this thesis was composed by myself, that the work contained herein is my own except where explicitly stated otherwise in the text, and that this work has not been submitted for any other degree or processional qualification except as specified. A version of Chapter 1 was published in Studies in European Cinema as “Irony, Sexism and Magic in Paolo Sorrentino’s films” in October 2017. Signature: Eszter Simor, 10 December 2019 iii Abstract This thesis investigates how contemporary European art cinema establishes an absurd worldview to express social criticism that can be read as evidence of – as well as a response to – European socio-political crises.