Who Am I?: Meditation on the Self (In the Context of International Cinema . . . and Beyond)
Abstract
As an organizing principle, I will frame this discussion of myself in relationship to
particular European and Asian films that I felt breathed substance into my life
perspective. Some of the greatest discoveries of my college years were these films. I
discovered Fellini, Truffaut, Ozu, Antonioni, Fassbinder, Tati, Bergman, Renoir, Ophuls,
Bresson, and Dreyer while studying in Kalamazoo. The films I discuss in this work are,
not representative of a definitive list of my favorite films, a list that would include many American films as well. If this were the case, I would include such masterworks as
Persona, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, The 400 Blows, The Earrings of Madame de ... ,
Decalogue, The Rules of the Game, and I could add many other films to such a list.
The films I chose simply worked well structurally and contextually. They reflected what
I wanted to say.