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Displacement and the quest for identity in Alain Gomis's cinema

Displacement and the quest for identity in Alain Gomis's cinema
Displacement and the quest for identity in Alain Gomis's cinema
In this essay, I seek to explore the cinema of Alain Gomis through a focus on his depiction of displacement, particularly in L’Afrance / As a Man (2001), Andalucia / Andalusia (2007), and Tey / Today (2012), in order to show that these films share a similar aesthetic approach. I argue that Gomis’s aesthetic approach is marked by intimacy and embodiment, which are strategies employed within the rich Senegalese film heritage in general. Gomis’s multisensorial cinema features narratives that result from a combination of visual and aural elements, which also suggest an investment in the haptic. The displaced subjects partake in a quest for identity but realize that their displacement, as a psychological state of being, may never be resolved and thus leads to disturbing situations. Gomis’s portrayal of displacement sheds light on contemporary Senegal and the challenges of human mobility, a reality lived by a large part of the population.
1536-3155
360-390
Estrella Sendra,
649e182a-2efe-4202-bef9-cbd28bc6f496
Estrella Sendra,
649e182a-2efe-4202-bef9-cbd28bc6f496

Estrella Sendra, (2018) Displacement and the quest for identity in Alain Gomis's cinema. Black Camera, 9 (2), 360-390. (doi:10.2979/blackcamera.9.2.23).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In this essay, I seek to explore the cinema of Alain Gomis through a focus on his depiction of displacement, particularly in L’Afrance / As a Man (2001), Andalucia / Andalusia (2007), and Tey / Today (2012), in order to show that these films share a similar aesthetic approach. I argue that Gomis’s aesthetic approach is marked by intimacy and embodiment, which are strategies employed within the rich Senegalese film heritage in general. Gomis’s multisensorial cinema features narratives that result from a combination of visual and aural elements, which also suggest an investment in the haptic. The displaced subjects partake in a quest for identity but realize that their displacement, as a psychological state of being, may never be resolved and thus leads to disturbing situations. Gomis’s portrayal of displacement sheds light on contemporary Senegal and the challenges of human mobility, a reality lived by a large part of the population.

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Published date: 1 January 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 425568
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/425568
ISSN: 1536-3155
PURE UUID: 9ce66a53-7076-4ad9-a655-97dd529a40c7
ORCID for Estrella Sendra: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8344-2928

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Date deposited: 25 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 22:20

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