Buttressing strategy: A theory to understand the neopatriarchal unconscious of Iranian society cinema

Abstract

Patriarchy is the dominant structure in most societies. However, in real life, its application is not universal but diverse and particular, depending on the different ideologies they are rooted in. Acknowledging the specificity of Iranian society and Iranian cinema, this research embarks on developing a contextual-bound theory to understand and analyze the ideological representation of women in Iranian cinema. Questioning the a historicity of Mulvey’s psychoanalytic theory of film studies, the current research endeavors to discuss neopatriarchy in Iranian society and theorize the “buttressing strategy” as the neopatriarchal unconscious of Iranian society, and also to offer a qualitative analysis of films to shed light on the way buttressing strategy finds its way to Iranian cinema. As exemplary films which attempted to depict the empowerment of women on the screen, two of Asghar Farhadi’s films are selected; About Elly (2009) and A separation (2011). The two films are analyzed in order to discuss the way buttressing strategy negotiate with the empowered female characters in the level of narrative. The films are analyzed in the level of narrative from feminist perspective. The analysis shows that Asghar Farhadi’s films have some subversive aspects. However, his confrontation with the patriarchal paradigm does not transgress the very root of it subversively and fails to dislodge it transgressivly due to his ambivalent narrative. © 2018, Editura Lumen. All rights reserved.