Existential Anxiety in Contemporary Cinema: The Example of the Film “The Substance”

Authors : Hasan Tutar, Merve Diltemiz

Pages : 24-50

Doi:10.18094/josc.1813863

View : 149 | Download : 549

Publication Date : 2025-12-25

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study conducts a psychoanalytic examination of Coralie Fargeat\\\'s \\\"The Substance,\\\" analyzing its representation of existential anxiety within contemporary cinema. Framed by the theoretical lenses of Freud, Jung, and Lacan, the research investigates how the film translates its characters\\\' unconscious dynamics, internal conflicts, and identity crises into a cinematic language. Employing semiotic analysis as a qualitative method, the study interprets selected scenes, visual motifs, and narrative structures. The findings reveal that the film powerfully reflects the existential dread individuals face in confronting mortality and meaninglessness, articulated through the tension between the body, societal norms, and the pursuit of an authentic self. The narrative forces its characters to confront the inner void of an existence reduced to mere physicality. This process signifies a transformative reckoning with the fragmentation and reconstruction of the ego. Ultimately, this analysis posits that cinema, as exemplified by \\\"The Substance,\\\" can function as an effective psychoanalytic tool for concretizing and deciphering unconscious conflicts and existential anxieties, highlighting the productive dialogue between film and psychoanalysis in understanding body-centric existential dread.
Keywords : Varoluş sancısı, Gelecek kaygısı, Dünya ağrısı, Benlik algısı, Beden algısı.

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