Narrative technique · used in 1 film

Outside Culture as Contagion

Showing outside influence as something that spreads and cracks a sealed world. A small piece of popular culture is enough to make the people inside start to imagine another life.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. Dogtooth (2009) poster

    Dogtooth

    Yorgos Lanthimos · 2009

    The elder daughter watches video tapes of Hollywood films, including Rocky IV and Jaws, and acts out scenes from them. The tapes are the first spark of rebellion. Her father reacts with violence, and you can tell the closed world is already breaking.

    Where to see it: The tapes: the elder daughter secretly watches them and copies the scenes. When her father finds the tapes, he beats her.

Questions

Quick answers

What is outside culture as contagion in film?
Showing outside influence as something that spreads and cracks a sealed world. A small piece of popular culture is enough to make the people inside start to imagine another life.
Which films use outside culture as contagion?
Dogtooth (2009).
What kind of technique is outside culture as contagion?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Deadpan Absurdism, Closed World Control, Symbolic Object.

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