Seminar: The Cinema of Ruben Östlund

Mathias Korsgaard (Aarhus University) will be giving a talk entitled ‘Reflexive Style and Scandinavian Self-Questioning in the Cinema of Ruben Östlund’ as part of the Centre for Nordic Research Seminar Series.

Abstract

With only four feature films under his belt, Swedish film director Ruben Östlund has established himself as one of Scandinavia’s most inventive and acclaimed contemporary film directors. Östlund has become known for films with a highly reflexive style that place ordinary people in precarious everyday situations. His films challenge our prejudices and interrogate the moral self-righteousness and political correctness of the Scandinavian people. Mathias will examine the workings of style, the national and transnational legacy from other film directors such as Roy Andersson and Michael Haneke, as well as the questioning of identity in the films of Östlund—asking to what degree it matters to our interpretation of Östlund’s films that the director is Scandinavian.