Symbolic mediations of the self: liquid modernity and subjectivity in christopher nolan’s cinema (1998-2023)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1984-7939.2026.v23.53789Keywords:
Liquid modernity, Film narrative, Contemporary subjectivity, Symbolic analysisAbstract
This article examines the narrative configuration of the Orphan, Explorer, and Outlaw archetypes in the cinema of Christopher Nolan, focusing on their function as symbolic mediators of the psychosocial tensions inherent to liquid modernity. Drawing on a qualitative, interpretive methodology, the study analyzes a corpus of five auteur films (1998–2023) through a hermeneutic framework grounded in analytical psychology, critical sociology, and film theory. The argument posits that Nolan does not replicate classical archetypes but reconfigures them as dynamic narrative structures within complex storytelling. The article concludes that these figures enable the symbolic processing of contemporary subjective fragmentation, offering the viewer a means of metabolizing affective and identity-related uncertainty without resorting to narratives of redemption or totality.
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