DIEGESIS MAGAZINE
  • Home
    • About >
      • Like Us!
      • Join in >
        • Subscribe
        • Pitch
      • Contact Us
  • Print Issues
    • ALL
    • BEGINNING
    • END
    • I.D./CONTROL >
      • I.D.
      • CONTROL
    • COMPILATION
    • Conflict >
      • Conflict writers
    • Waste
  • Mini Issues
    • DECADE
    • RESET
    • 7 Deadly Sins >
      • SLOTH Mar 2020
      • WRATH FEB 2020
      • GREED JULY 2018
      • PRIDE JUNE 2018
      • ENVY MARCH 2018
      • GLUTTONY JANUARY 2018
      • LUST DECEMBER 2017
    • Personal August 2017
    • Short July 2017
    • Reality May 2017
    • Noise April 2017
    • Journey Mar 2017
    • Accolade Feb 2017
    • Fresh Starts and Finales Jan 2017
    • Emotional Summer 2016 >
      • LOVE
      • ANGER
      • SADNESS
      • SURPRISE
      • JOY
      • FEAR
  • Archive
    • Reviews
    • Interviews
    • Festivals
    • Articles
  • Blog
    • MUBIVIEWS
DIEGESIS : THE UNCONVENTIONAL MAGAZINE OF FILM AND TELEVISION CRITICISM

Southampton Film Week: BLADE RUNNER 2049 with Professor Will Brooker

17/12/2019

0 Comments

 

by Ethan Soffe

Picture
During Southampton Film Week, Solent University hosted a special screening of BLADE RUNNER 2049 (Denis Villeneuve 2017). The screening was accompanied with a talk by Professor of Film and Cultural Studies Will Brooker, who discussed his latest work: “The World Is Built on a Wall: Deconstructing Blade Runner 2049. In his talk, Brooker critically discussed the film, which is primarily centred around boundaries and maintaining order in a futuristic dystopian society. This was a captivating and insightful event and Brooker’s evaluation offered a fresh new perspective on the film, enhancing the viewing experience that followed.
​
Two of Brooker’s key arguments were how the film represents social hierarchy and order and how it symbolises the concept of “post-truth” throughout the narrative. An example of this is the idea of the boundaries of fact and fiction preserving truth and maintaining dominance within the film’s dystopian order. Brooker also examined how the film deals with the manipulation of facts to secure these societal boundaries. The plot of BLADE RUNNER 2049 concerns a long-hidden secret that is discovered and has the potential to significantly alter society. Brooker identified an extensive archive of records featured in the film and the crucial plot of concealing the past. He went on to draw parallels with these aspects and the current political climate, including Donald Trump’s fake news claims and Brexit.          
​
Brooker highlighted his main arguments by discussing his idea that the past is an imperfect copy. He explained that the past never provides every answer to specific events; despite efforts of preservation, one piece is always missing. He emphasised this by demonstrating K’s personal odyssey of locating one of his memories as a child and his goal of seeking closure over his past. Moreover, he argued that 2049’s predecessor - BLADE RUNNER (Ridley Scott 1982) - is not a reliable text, due to the past’s incompletion. 

BLADE RUNNER 2049 with Professor Will Brooker was a true highlight of Southampton Film Week 2019. It offered a unique perception of BLADE RUNNER 2049, which undoubtedly expanded and developed a more critical understanding of the film’s themes in relation to our current societal and political context. Having a film academic critique a narratively complex and dense film such as BLADE RUNNER 2049, along with a Q&A, made for a thoroughly engaging evening.
0 Comments

    Archives

    December 2019
    December 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Academy Awards
    Agatha Christie
    Amnesia
    BAFTA
    BAFTA Shorts Tour
    Blade Runner
    Campus Culture
    Compilation
    Dave Calhoun
    Design
    Diegesis Award
    Documentary
    Editing
    Film
    Film Adaptation
    Film Competition
    Film Critic
    Film Criticism
    Film Review
    Film Reviewing
    Film Screening
    Film Writing
    Flashback
    Flashforward
    Hollywood
    Making Notes
    Masterclass
    Memory
    Memory Loss
    #MeToo
    Obsession
    Photography
    Post-production
    Print Magazine
    Recall
    Research
    Researching
    Researching Film
    Screenwriting
    Scriptwriting
    Sexual Abuse
    Sexual Assault
    Short Film
    Silent Film
    SOFIAS
    Solent Post
    Southampton
    Southampton Film Week
    Space
    Time Out
    Title Sequence
    Tv Critic
    Tv Writing
    Waste
    Watching Film
    Writing A Film Review
    Writing Competition
    Youth Film Festival

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • About >
      • Like Us!
      • Join in >
        • Subscribe
        • Pitch
      • Contact Us
  • Print Issues
    • ALL
    • BEGINNING
    • END
    • I.D./CONTROL >
      • I.D.
      • CONTROL
    • COMPILATION
    • Conflict >
      • Conflict writers
    • Waste
  • Mini Issues
    • DECADE
    • RESET
    • 7 Deadly Sins >
      • SLOTH Mar 2020
      • WRATH FEB 2020
      • GREED JULY 2018
      • PRIDE JUNE 2018
      • ENVY MARCH 2018
      • GLUTTONY JANUARY 2018
      • LUST DECEMBER 2017
    • Personal August 2017
    • Short July 2017
    • Reality May 2017
    • Noise April 2017
    • Journey Mar 2017
    • Accolade Feb 2017
    • Fresh Starts and Finales Jan 2017
    • Emotional Summer 2016 >
      • LOVE
      • ANGER
      • SADNESS
      • SURPRISE
      • JOY
      • FEAR
  • Archive
    • Reviews
    • Interviews
    • Festivals
    • Articles
  • Blog
    • MUBIVIEWS