Problematyka tabu w twórczości Todda Solondza
Taboo issues in Todd Solondz’s output

Author(s): Hanna Kowalska
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Culture and social structure , Health and medicine and law, Film / Cinema / Cinematography
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: abortion; hyperreality; disability; sexual orientation; pedophilia; taboo; Todd Solondz
Summary/Abstract: This article aims to systematize the discussion of the problems of taboo in cinema against the work of Todd Solondz, with particular emphasis on film, „Storytelling” (2001) „Welcome to the Dollhouse” (1995), „Happiness” (1998) and „Palindromes” (2004). Article shows that in his artistic achievements director looks at topics strongly tabooed by contemporary culture, such as abortion, pedophilia, disability or domestic violence. Solondz not only tells the story marked in the subject, but also tames them, so that his heroes were able to arouse sympathy. The author showed that thanks to that the director forces the viewer to intellectual effort and self‑reflection. It proved also that in these films Todd Solondz deliberately exceed the limit fixed by the culture by breaking taboos, which, however, is not marked by obvious moral. In this way, the author shows educational dimension to the work of the director.

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