Performative Cinema and its Emergence. A Discussion of a Unique and Transgressive Approach in Contemporary Cinematic Discourse

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to establish a frame of reference and allow a better understanding of an unexplored section of cinema which is performative in nature, as it relates directly to the audience, the same way performance art does. Some of the emerging forms of performative cinema shall be listed and analyzed, using examples from the works of relevant and important directors to support the proposed argument. Some of the directors whose films I will discuss are Pere Portabella, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Ruben Östlund, and Lars von Trier. The article will also highlight the division inherent to performative cinema, as its means of expression can be either direct, through an unfiltered narrative, or indirect, with the basics of performance built into the very structure of the plot. The differences between the two shall be thoroughly examined, alongside some stylistic tendencies that have started to accumulate over the last decades. This continuous evolution has led to the transformation and innovation of the cinematic language.