Eroticism, Sacrality, and Transgression in Jean- Claude Brisseau’s Cinema

Abstract

This article aims to identify and characterize the representation of the sacred in Jean-Claude Brisseau’s cinema. Is the sacred manifested in an integrated manner with its surroundings, or does it require strategies of distinction? The hypothesis of this work is that, in his cinema, the sacred and the profane coexist on the same reality regime. At first, the depiction of difference is emphasized. Subsequently, in an act of “transgression”, the boundary zones are exceeded. To confront this hypothesis, we will analyze three scenes from the film The Sound and Fury (De Bruit et De Fureur, 1988). Each scene analyzed will establish fruitful dialogues with other films by Brisseau. The main theoretical reference for this article consists of the concepts of “eroticism”, “continuity” and “transgression” by the French philosopher Georges Bataille.