Functions of projective identification in cinema

Abstract

The article develops the concept of “projective identification” within the framework of identification theories as applied to the analysis of contemporary cinema. In the article, it is proved that cinema, in search of scenes, turns to fabulous and archetypal models that enhance the hero’s projection, identifying him or her with a role model. Such an identity becomes fatal for the hero himself. The striving of new Russian cinema, while maintaining a projective identity, to expand the range of identifications during dialogue with the viewer is also noted.

A critical analysis of theories of identity and an analysis of the specifics of screen art makes it possible to clearly distinguish between the identity and identification, and to distinguish various levels of identity due to the specifics of identification. An analysis of the motivations in the film and of the screen arts conventions made it possible to clarify at which point or defining moment in the film such identification begins. The author proves that it is associated not so much with the specifics of the plot as with the specifics of the visualization, due to the narrative substrate and the boundaries of its onscreen deployment.

Projective identification is considered as a resource of the spectator’s experience and as an innovation in cinema. It is proved that the modern existence of cinema in the space of new media and new arts turns what we consider art methods or devices into identification strategies that work differently depending on the expectations of the viewer and director’s optics, which becomes fundamentally changeable and unpredictable.