Woman in Lars von Triers Cinema, 19962014 [Paperback]

This book discusses the figure of Woman in Lars von Triers distinctive cinematic productions from 1996 to 2014. It takes the notorious legacy of violence against women in von Triers cinema beyond the perceived gender division, elevating the directors image above being a mere provocateur. By raising fundamental questions about woman, sexuality, and desire, Elbeshlawy shows that Triers cinematic Woman is an attempt at creating an image of a genderless subject that is not inhibited by the confines of ideology and culture. But this attempt is perennially ill-fated. And it is this failure that not only fosters viewing enjoyment but also gives the films their political importance, elevating them above both commendations and condemnations of feminist discourse.

1. Introduction: The Lacanian Woman and Lars von Triers Cinema.- 2. The Danger of the Naive Religious Woman of Breaking the Waves.- 3.Idioterne: Woman as a Proponent of Real Politics.- 4. Dancer in the Dark: Deploying the Siren, Impairing the Sight.- 5. Dogville: Woman as an Ideological Cinematic Tool.- 6. Manderlay: The Gift, Graces Desire, and the Collapse of Ideology.- 7. The Deployment of the Impossible Woman in Antichrist.- 8. Besides Melancholia and Beyond Gender: Melancholia.- 9. Conclusion, or, Desire as Law: the Loneliness of Nymphomaniac between Pornography and Narrative.