How does a sense of self develop? Through Scarlet Johansson's chilling performance as a psychopathic alien seductress who preys on unsuspecting men, UNDER THE SKIN (2013, 107 min) organizes itself around the theme of self-awareness and empathy (or the lack thereof). The film hinges on the idea of the skin as a beginning, a container, a house for ego-development.
In this class, we’ll use contemporary ideas about the skin, body and identity to consider what it means when Johansson’s character slowly starts to develop an inner form, feel things in her interior, and perhaps more importantly, experience empathy (and its horrors). We’ll touch on Glazer’s filmmaking, which conveys the film’s themes with little dialogue, akin to a visual form of free association linked to Freud.
This class is taught by guest instructors Francoise Eipper MD and Alice Huang MD of the Oregon Psychoanalytic Center. Fran and Alice are psychoanalysts and lovers of film. There will be a concurrent course offered through OPC that you can find here.
Class will begin with a short lecture, followed by a screening of the film, after which an instructor-led discussion will take place.
Class size will be limited to 18.
Questions? Email us at education@moviemadness.org