Representation in Cinema, Dasein’s Demise as the Violent Result of Home/Alien Encounter in the Search for Dwelling
Published
13-7-2025
Type of Work
Other
PhD Thesis
Abstract
The PhD thesis explores the potential of cinema as a medium capable of e ectively representing complex existential and psychological themes. Specifically, it proposes a new cinematic language or lexicon, integrating Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theories with Martin Heidegger’s existential philosophy. The research identifies a gap within existing cinematic practices: while psychological and existential narratives have been primarily treated as separate entities, this dissertation demonstrates the advantages and possibilities inherent in combining these two approaches to try to depict nuanced human conditions, especially within contexts of forced migration, displacement, and alienation. It tries to answer how integrating Heidegger and Lacan in cinema can bridge phenomenology and psychodynamics to holistically explain the human condition. My practice as a filmmaker and screenwriter is fundamentally about translating philosophical ideas on humanistic situations into visual and narrative cinematic language. This approach finds its embodiment in my screenplay The Isle of Delusion, which serves as a practical and tangible example of how abstract theoretical concepts can be expressed through film. By transforming philosophical theories into visual narratives and accessible visual representations, the screenplay tries to bridge the gap between theoretical inquiry and practical filmmaking.
Citation
Shams, M. (2025). Researching a lexicon representation in cinema: Dasein’s demise as the violent result of home/alien encounter in the search for dwelling (Doctoral dissertation, Griffith University, Australia).
Link to Published Work
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