Mythologizing the Political Gesture, a Vector of Myth Perpetuation in Contemporary Society. The Dance of Reality and Alejandro Jodorowsky

Abstract

An unusual common element of the secular society of the 20th century is the mythologization of the political gesture, in both the space of communist identity and the one in which different forms of Athenian democracy have been perpetuated until today. The Dance of Reality (2013), the film of Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowski captures and artistically transposes this mutation of community metaphysics from the area of religion to that of politics. By analysing two emblematic scenes from Jodorowski's film using concepts underlying Mircea Eliade's myth theory, the article aims to investigate the process by which contemporary society creates new mythical landmarks in the secular space, by mythologizing the political gesture with the help of mythologizing act storytelling.