We Need To Talk About Kevin Ideology Flashcards
What is the ideological approach used to examine We Need to Talk About Kevin?
Gender perspective
The analysis includes concepts such as ‘The Woman as Mother,’ Psychoanalytical theories, and Queer Theory.
What are the three separate gender ideas used to analyze the film?
- Woman as ‘The Mother’
- Psychoanalytical
- Queer Theory
How is the woman as ‘mother’ portrayed in culture?
As a natural, fulfilling role that women embrace
This portrayal is often exaggerated in cinema.
What is the film’s stance on the myths surrounding motherhood?
It seeks to explode these myths and examine their truth.
How is Eva depicted before pregnancy?
As happy and liberated.
What does the sex scene with Franklin represent?
An expression of sexual freedom.
What concept does Creed’s ideas of Monstrous Femininity relate to?
The depiction of women in pregnancy and motherhood.
Is Eva depicted as naturally maternal?
No, she is not.
What does Kevin represent in Eva’s life?
A physical manifestation of her regret at becoming a mother.
What are the seven types of the Monstrous Feminine in Cinema according to Barbara Creed?
- The Archaic Mother
- The Monstrous Womb
- The Witch
- The Vampire (Vagina Dentata)
- The Possessed Woman
- Femme Castratrice
- Castrating Mother
How does Creed define ‘The Abject’?
That which disturbs identity, system, and order.
What does the female body represent in contrast to the male body, according to Creed?
The female body is depicted as monstrous and ‘abject.’
What does horror cinema often explore regarding female characters?
Body mutation and the fear associated with pregnancy.
What is the Oedipus Complex?
A psychoanalytical idea describing a boy’s desire for his mother and jealousy towards his father.
What is The Primal Scene in the context of the Oedipus Complex?
When a child witnesses parents having sex, leading to confusion and arousal.
What is a notable behavior of Kevin towards Eva?
He exhibits identifiable sexual tension and obsession.
What happens to Oedipus’ mother in the myth?
She ends up dead after Oedipus fulfills his tragic fate.
What does Judith Butler argue about gender?
Gender is a construct and performative, existing on a sliding scale.
How is heteronormativity generally framed in society?
As trustworthy and safe.
What is queer-coding in cinema?
Using queer identities to signify characters as untrustworthy or villainous.
What are the implications of fixed ideas of otherness?
They lead to suspicion, mistreatment, oppression, and violence.
What does the final sequence of We Need to Talk About Kevin explore?
Narrative oppositions and Eva’s journey.
What does Todorov’s narratology suggest about the film?
It is about a journey to acceptance of guilt, grief, and motherhood.
What does Levi-Strauss’ structuralism focus on in the film?
Conflicts interrogating social expectations.
What does Russian formalism emphasize?
Subjectivity, memory, and perception.
What is the gender ideological framework’s focus in the film?
Exploring myths about motherhood, psychoanalytical ideas, and gender preconceptions.
What is Umberto Eco’s Aberrant Response Theory?
The idea that audiences interpret texts in diverse ways due to cultural differences.
What does Stuart Hall’s Encoding and Decoding Theory suggest?
Texts are encoded with ideological meaning that audiences must decode.
What does Aberrant Response refer to?
An audience’s interpretation of a text in ways that differ from the intended meaning
Influential on Stuart Hall’s work
Who proposed the concept of Encoding and Decoding?
Stuart Hall
A key figure in cultural studies
What does Hall suggest all texts are encoded with?
Ideological meaning
Texts are shaped by the creator’s intent
What are the components a director uses to encode meaning?
- Film Form
- Narrative
- Dialogue
These elements help convey the intended ideology
What is the Preferred Response in Hall’s model?
The audience accepts and agrees with the ideology of the text
This is the ideal reception of the text
What characterizes an Oppositional Response?
Active rejection of the intended ideology
Indicates a critical perspective from the audience
Define Negotiated Response.
The audience navigates the text, accepting some ideas and rejecting others
Reflects a more complex engagement with the text
What are some possible Aberrant or Oppositional Responses to We Need to Talk about Kevin?
- Criticism of the film for failing to explore Kevin’s mentality
- Finding the film’s ambiguity challenging
- Viewing the narrative as primarily about Eva, not Kevin
Responses can vary widely based on individual interpretations
How does the film We Need to Talk about Kevin position the audience?
To identify with Eva and assume her perspective in the narrative
This affects how the audience responds to the film
What narrative technique is used in We Need to Talk about Kevin that may challenge spectators?
Poetic use of cinematic language, fragmented editing, and non-linear narrative
Reflects internal cognitive processes and can be difficult to engage with
Fill in the blank: Hall suggested that all texts are encoded with _______.
[ideological meaning]
True or False: The audience has only one possible response to a text according to Stuart Hall.
False
There are three possible responses: preferred, oppositional, and negotiated
