From foundational narratives to dissolution narratives. The question of national identity in contemporary cinema

Abstract

Notwithstanding the extensive discussion questioning concepts like “nation” and “nationalism” within historiography, and the debate about the actuality and functionality of “national cinema” as a category in the lm studies eld (BERRY, 2006), those notions continue to be used by lm scholars, festivals, competitions etc. Contrary to the so-called “foundational narratives” (SOMMER, 2004), in which domestic happiness and national ideal were interwoven, some contemporary lms maintain a strong relation between “individual” and “national” spheres, but in a negative way. This leads us to propose the “dissolution narratives” concept, anchored in Jia Zhangke’s lm analysis, particularly Mountains May Depart (2015).