Duration: 5h 45m

Broadcast: 16 & 17 Jan, 2022

The Oedipus complex in psychoanalytic theory is a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex and a concomitant sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex. It is regarded as a crucial stage in the normal developmental process; Sigmund Freud introduced the concept in his book ‘The Interpretation of Dreams’ (1899).

In this course, we will observe and interpret cinematic representations of the so-called ‘Family Romance’ taboo, specifically the impulse of the male child to desire his mother. Relying on Freudian theory, the proposition is that the eroticisation of the mother is linked to a preoccupation with one’s physical and emotional origins.

Advance viewing is optional. Brief film scenes will be shown during the course.

Session 1

  • Psycho (1960) dir. Alfred Hitchcock
  • Luna (1979) dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Back to the Future (1985) dir. Robert Zemeckis
  • New York Stories: Oedipus Wrecks (1989) dir. Woody Allen
  • The Grifters (1990) dir. Stephen Frears

Session 2

  • Hush (1988) dir. Jonathan Darby
  • Ma Mère (2004) dir. Christophe Honoré
  • Hallam Foe (2007) dir. David Mackenzie
  • Savage Grace (2008) dir. Tom Kalin
  • Mommy (2014) dir. Xavier Dolan

PROJECTIONS is psychoanalysis for film interpretation. PROJECTIONS empowers film spectators to express subjective associations they consider to be meaningful. Expertise in psychoanalytic theory is not necessary – the only prerequisite is the desire to enter and inhabit the imaginary world of film, which is itself a psychoanalytic act. MARY WILD (@psycstar), a Freudian cinephile from Montreal, is the creator of PROJECTIONS.

 

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PROJECTIONS by Mary Wild

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