Navigating the Self in Near Future Science Fiction Films
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Date
2018-05
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Introduction/Background: For many decades, the genre of science fiction has looked outward and forward through its subjects. Science fiction film, as it tells stories about "another reality", addresses the concerns of a group as they perceive the direction of their real-world society. While science fiction films have focused largely on the effects on society as a whole, there has been a shift towards the end of the 20th century and into the 21st century to focus more on individuals. Instead of asking where our society is headed, they ask how can a person define themselves despite or through the science of their reality. These films begin in the intimate world of their characters, and slowly reveal aspects of the world around them, leaving the audience to question where, when, and how this "future" takes place, and how the individual fits in it. Methods: This thesis project builds upon the definition of science fiction, focusing on how emerging science can be understood through the lens of the individual, instead of a society. It analyzes the narrative characteristics of these recent films, and how changing the way a science fiction film presents the future can affect a viewer's interpretation of its social commentary. In addition, it explores how they attempt to answer questions such as, "what does it mean to be an individual in this futuristic society", "how do we define human", "what barriers or complications are presented in self-definition", and "in what ways has interpersonal interaction changed or become mediated in this 'near-future'". The films under study are The Truman Show (1998), Never Let Me Go (2004), Black Mirror (2011-2016), Under the Skin (2013), Her (2013), and Ex Machina (2015). Conclusion: The expected outcome of this research is first, to demonstrate the complicated relationship between the viewer and the filmic world when it is set in the 'near-future', as well as address and investigate the humanistic focused narratives of these more recent science fiction films. Ultimately, analysis of these films could potentially identify a shift, or at least a new subgroup, in contemporary science fiction.
Description
ASC Honors Undergraduate Research Scholarship
Keywords
Science Fiction films, Social Media, Self Definition, Artificial Intelligence, Freud