Subjectivity and domestic ethnography in Last Words

Authors

  • Beatriz D’Angelo Braz University of Brasilia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-7114.sig.2019.144554

Keywords:

documentary, subjectivity, reflexive mode, death, ethnography.

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the documentary Last words (1998), from the Dutch filmmaker Johan van der Keuken. Author of more than 50 documentaries, Van der Keuken stands out by his constant experimentation in filmmaking, both with respect to formal aspects and to themes. Last words, one of the filmmaker’s last films, is an example of his entering into the field of the reflexive documentary by recording the last moments of his sister Joke’s life, who is suffering from cancer. The analysis here focusses on the film representation of subjectivity and death and how Van der Keuken makes a domestic ethnography in which he remembers and rethinks, through his sister, his own background and family life.

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Author Biography

  • Beatriz D’Angelo Braz, University of Brasilia

    Bachelor degree in Portuguese and French, Language and Literature, from University of São Paulo (USP) and in Film Studies from Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP). Master's degree in Multimedia from the Institute of Arts of State University of Campinas. Currently, Beatriz is a doctoral student in the Literature Post-Graduate program of the University of Brasilia, having been granted a Capes scholarship.

References

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ODIN, R. (Org). Les films de famille. Paris: Librairie des Méridiens, 1995.

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SOBCHACK. V. “Inscrevendo o espaço ético: dez proposições sobre a morte, representação e documentário”. In: RAMOS, F. P. Teoria contemporânea do cinema. São Paulo: Senac, 2005, p. 127-158.

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Published

2019-01-31

Issue

Vol. 46 No. 51 (2019): Dossiê: História e Audiovisual

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2019 Beatriz D’Angelo Braz

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How to Cite

Braz, B. D. (2019). Subjectivity and domestic ethnography in Last Words. Significação: Journal of Audiovisual Culture, 46(51). https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-7114.sig.2019.144554