دانشگاه بین المللی سوره رهپویه حکمت هنر 2980-812X 5 1 2026 03 21 The Representation of Eros in Postmodern Cinema Through the Perspective of Byung-Chul Han (Case Study: The Film Melancholia) بازنمایی اِروس در سینمای پست ‎مدرن با رویکرد بیونگ چول هان (مطالعه موردی فیلم مالیخولیا) 107 118 726596 10.22034/rph.2025.2062813.1152 FA بهزاد اسدی دانشجوی دکتری فلسفه هنر، واحد تهران شمال، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران، ایران. 0000-0002-4113-3649 محمد شکری استادیار، گروه فلسفه، واحد تهران شمال، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران، ایران مینو خانی استادیار گروه پژوهش هنر، واحد تهران شمال، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران، ایران. Journal Article 2025 06 08 This article investigates the representation of Eros in postmodern cinema through the philosophical lens of Byung-Chul Han. It focuses in particular focus on Lars von Trier’s Melancholia as a paradigmatic example. The depiction of existential and emotional crises in the postmodern world. Classical philosophy understands Eros as life-affirming and connective. force, Han argues that, in contemporary society, Eros is eroded and fragmented. Love, longing, and human desire have deteriorated within the frameworks of Consumerism and radical individualism. Employing qualitative content analysis and Han’s theoretical framework, the study analyzes the manifestations of the erosion of Eros in the film’s narrative, characters, and symbolic atmosphere. The study focuses on portraying depression, isolation, and interpersonal disconnection as symptoms of a broader cultural exhaustion of erotic vitality in postmodernity. The analysis reveals that human relations in Melancholia are devoid of genuine affective bonds, giving way to apathy and passivity in the face of the world’s collapse. Rooted in classical Greek thought—particularly in Plato’s philosophy—Eros was historically conceived not merely as erotic desire but as a transcendent yearning for beauty, truth, and the good. However, in modern and postmodern contexts, Eros undergoes significant conceptual transformations. The rise of critical discourses such as psychoanalysis and sociology has challenged and reshaped traditional understandings of desire and affection. What was once considered a spiritual and noble force is now often viewed as pathological or commercialized, requiring a critical reevaluation. Byung-Chul Han, a Korean-German philosopher, offers one of the most incisive critiques of this transformation. In his work, Han argues that contemporary society—centered on performance, productivity, and efficiency—substitutes authentic desire with utilitarian goals. In such a world, Eros, which thrives on openness, alterity, and emotional vulnerability, is incompatible with the logic of self-optimization and neoliberal capitalism. This results in emotional fatigue, alienation, and the erosion of intimate bonds. According to Han, love has become a consumable good, while human relationships have become short-lived and transactional. Cinema, as a quintessential postmodern art form, provides a potent platform for exploring such existential and emotional dislocations. It can capture not only the psychological complexities of contemporary human life but also the cultural decay of foundational values like Eros. Lars von Trier’s Melancholia exemplifies this capacity. With its symbolic imagery and apocalyptic atmosphere, the film reflects the psychological exhaustion of the postmodern subject. Eros, instead of symbolizing connection and transcendence, becomes an emblem of rupture, depression, and psychic disintegration. Confronted with the impending collision of the planet Melancholia and Earth, the film’s characters exhibit profound emotional detachment and a total collapse of the will to connect. The study’s central question is how the concept of Eros is represented in postmodern cinema, particularly through Han’s philosophical framework. The analysis identifies recurring symbols, narrative patterns, and aesthetic strategies in Melancholia that illustrate the degeneration of Eros from a creative force to a marker of existential disintegration. This cinematic narrative mirrors Han’s philosophical diagnosis of a society marked by overexposure, performativity, and emotional disaffection. Methodologically, the research is based on interpretive qualitative content analysis. The theoretical framework draws on Han’s critiques of the collapse of love, the corrosion of desire, and the disintegration of human bonds in the postmodern condition. Through close reading of the film’s narrative structure, character construction, and aesthetic strategies, the study investigates the symbolic presence—or absence—of erotic energy in contemporary visual storytelling. The findings demonstrate that in Melancholia, classical Eros—as a life-generating, transcendent, and connective force—has been replaced by a paralyzed, exhausted, and alienated version of itself. The characters lack the capacity for emotional agency or genuine human connection; love neither liberates nor binds, and desire is stripped of its transformative power. This failure is not solely psychological, but reflective of deeper socio-cultural forces—forces that demand constant self-performance, transparency, and consumption. In Han’s view, neoliberal society leads to the resignation of the subject from love, and Melancholia powerfully visualizes this resignation through its imagery and thematic depth. Melancholia is a powerful work in the psychological drama and apocalyptic genre, structured in two distinct yet interconnected parts: Justine and Claire. This dual structure allows director Lars von Trier to explore different dimensions of decay and depression through the perspectives of two sisters. In the first part, titled Justine, the viewer accompanies the protagonist (played compellingly by Kirsten Dunst) on the night of her wedding. The ceremony takes place in a luxurious estate, but signs of restlessness, anxiety, and Justine’s inability to conform to social norms and expectations are evident from the very beginning. A wedding—meant to symbolize joy, unity, and a new beginning—gradually transforms into a tableau of Justine’s inner turmoil. As the evening progresses, she sinks into deep depression, unable to express joy, grows distant from her new husband, and her relationships with her family—particularly her cold mother and irresponsible father—become increasingly strained. Justine embodies melancholia (profound depression) as a fundamental existential state that not only prevents the formation of emotional bonds but also pushes her toward detachment and isolation. This section vividly illustrates how, even at the height of expected joy, Eros (the force of love and connection) is weakened within Justine, giving way to forces of disintegration and self-destruction. The breakdown of the wedding and Justine’s abandonment of it serve as a powerful metaphor for the collapse of hope and the incapacity to connect in her world. The second part of the film focuses on Justine’s sister, Claire (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg), presenting a different psychological landscape—though it ultimately leads to the same dissolution and decay seen in the first half. A cosmic catastrophe is introduced: a mysterious planet called Melancholia has deviated from its orbit and is heading toward Earth. At first, scientists assure everyone that there will be no collision, but Claire becomes increasingly anxious about the impending disaster. She represents the modern human being, who, despite attempts to maintain order and control, quickly succumbs to fear and dread when faced with forces greater than herself. Claire tries to rationalize and manage reality, but as Melancholia draws nearer, her grip on herself and her surroundings weakens. In contrast, Justine, who outwardly appears unexpectedly calm, accepts the looming death and even reaches a kind of surrender. Justine’s serenity, which Claire finds both strange and disturbing, may reflect that she has long lived in a state of melancholia and existential alienation. For Justine, the collision with another planet might simply be the external manifestation of the inner collapse and isolation she has endured for years. This contrast between Claire’s anxiety and Justine’s calm beautifully illustrates how the concept of Eros and the desire for life take divergent paths in different individuals when confronted with annihilation and decay. The film’s apocalyptic atmosphere metaphorically captures an era in which, even in the face of extinction, humanity fails to reclaim meaningful connection. Eros in this world is not a redemptive power but a symbol of modern isolation. This research shows that Han’s philosophical critique offers a robust analytical tool to understand emotional fragmentation in postmodern cinema. Although this study is limited to a single film, it opens pathways for future comparative research on the representation of love, desire, and subjectivity in contemporary visual culture. Moreover, it contributes to a sharper portrayal of the condition of the modern individual—one who, in a world emptied of meaning, still yearns for signs of human connection, yet repeatedly encounters its impossibility. Thus, Eros in postmodern cinema—especially in Melancholia—transcends the boundaries of romantic representation and becomes a critical lens through which to interrogate the psychological, cultural, and philosophical crises of our time. موضوع این مقاله، به بازنمایی مفهوم اِروس در سینمای پست‎مدرن با تکیه بر دیدگاه‎های فلسفی بیونگ چول هان است. رویکرد اصلی پژوهش، تحلیل فیلم مالیخولیا اثر لارس فون تریه به عنوان نمونه‎ای شاخص از بازنمایی بحران‎های وجودی و احساسی در بستر جهان پست‎مدرن است. اِروس در فلسفۀ کلاسیک به‎مثابه نیرویی برای پیوند و زندگی معنا یافته بود، اما در اندیشه هان، در وضعیت معاصر به شکلی زوال یافته و متلاشی بازنمایی می‎شود؛ به گونه‎ای که عشق، اشتیاق و میل انسانی در دل نظام مصرفی و فردگرایانه امروز دچار فروپاشی و بیگانگی شده‎اند. این مطالعه با بهره‎گیری از روش تحلیل محتوای کیفی و چارچوب نظری هان، به واکاوی جلوه‎های زوال اِروس در روایت، کاراکترها و فضاسازی‎های فیلم مالیخولیا می‎پردازد. توجه ویژه به بازتاب افسردگی، انزوا، و گسست‎های میان‎فردی در فیلم، امکان فهم چگونگی فرسایش نیروی اِروتیک در فرهنگ پست‎مدرن را فراهم می‎آورد. در این راستا، تحلیل فیلم نشان می‎دهد که روابط انسانی در مالیخولیا عمدتاً فاقد پیوندهای عاطفی اصیل بوده و در مواجهه با فروپاشی جهان، به انفعال و بی‎تفاوتی کشیده می‎شود. یافته‎های پژوهش حاکی از آن است که سینمای پست‎مدرن، به‎ویژه در آثار کارگردانانی چون فون تریه، نه‎تنها به تصویر وضعیت متأخر عشق و میل می‎پردازد، بلکه به نقد بنیادین ساختارهای روانی، اجتماعی و فرهنگی زمانه خود نیز دست می‎زند. این بررسی، امکان درک ژرف‎تری از نسبت میان زیبایی‎شناسی سینمایی و تحولات فلسفی مفهوم اِروس در عصر پست‎مدرن فراهم می‎آورد.

https://rph.soore.ac.ir/article_726596_4cd3ac26554cabce18cce85bd6e05fdd.pdf