Faces of Evil

Researcher CIMS

Lennart Soberon

Supervisor CIMS

Daniël Biltereyst

Presentation

The aim of this research project is to offer a longitudinal analysis on enemy image construction in the American action thriller. Consisting of two research cycles, this project aspires to investigate processes of vilification and demonization as both a discursive and cinematic practice. In the first research phase enemy identities are mapped in the genre over a 36 year period (1981-2016), offering insight into how such cinematic iterations of enemyhood change over time, relate to wider geopolitical events and interact with discourses on self and other. In the complementary research phase a neoformalist analysis is conducted on several case studies, as to understand the formal and stylistic properties of such vilifying practices.