2020/11/14 by Oliver Kenny · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Cinema and Media Studies #Gender, Security, and Conflict #Gothic Literature and Media Analysis
paper · doi:10.1080/17411548.2020.1778846
openalex publication_date 2020/11/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Noting the use of long takes in controversial scenes of sexual violence in ‘new extreme’ films, this article considers the ethical ramifications of such stylistic choices in Irreversible and The Tribe. In these long takes, I suggest we see the alterable ‘process’ rather than the unalterable ‘unity’ of a scene’s action; these scenes thus interpellate an ethical witness who fulfils the ethical obligations of the witness without being physically present. I explore the problematic power position made possible by this absent ethical witness to suggest a way of moving beyond the entrenched partisan positions that exemplify many accounts of new extreme films and depictions of sexual violence more broadly.