“The marriage of reason and nightmare that has dominated the 20th century has given birth to an ever more ambiguous world.”

While predating the official idea of ‘post-cinematic affect’, David Cronenberg’s infamous 1996 erotic thriller Crash stands as an intriguing example of the manipulation of mood and intensity. The film presented audiences with a concept of sensuality that had previously been side-lined and secluded to viewers of mainstream cinema and is known for the intense sensations it elicits. The film is crammed with classic Cronenberg body horror and intertwined themes of carnal devastation, eliciting deep discomfort, paralleling the intense sensuality of the scenes. The brashness of both its action and eroticism leaves viewers simultaneously astounded and aroused, making the film a compelling argument for the theories discussed by Steven Shaviro in Post-Continuity: An Introduction, as the severe sensations and tone override any traditional sense of story.

In the film, there is a blatant diversion from the classical techniques of cinematic storytelling and narratives, but it still succeeds – arguably, more so than traditional films – in its ability to stimulate intense feelings and reactions in audiences. The fragmented structure, emotionally detached protagonists and fetishization of tragedy and horror merge to create an excellent execution of profound sensations. The final scene of the film exemplifies a notion of accelerationism, as themes of pleasure and ownership propel at such a rapid pace until they eventually cumulate in inevitable, complete destruction, whein no-one can stop until nothing remains.

The film overtly sexualises car crashes, using the mechanised collisions as supplements for human interaction, there is minimal genuine affection between the characters as it is replaced with voyeurism and violence, creating the same sense of affective dissonance that Shaviro links to post-cinematic aesthetics. The structure and style of Crash intensify this affect, the fragmented narrative and prolonged shots of roadside wrecks and naked bodies mirror the theme of the dehumanisation of eroticism as well as offering a scathing analysis of modern sexuality and relationships. By emphasising mood and stylized dramaticism, Cronenberg presents a movie designed to unnerve and intrigue, parallel to the ideas Shaviro describes in his writing, utilising tone and emotion to challenge the values of viewers through spectacle and impact.

BIBLIOGRAPHY-

Ballard, J.G. (1995), ‘Crash’ available at: https://streptos-music.noblogs.org/files/2010/10/jg-ballard-crash-en.pdf

Shaviro, S. (2016), ‘Post-Continuity: An Introduction’

Becket, A. (2017), ‘Accelerationism: How a fringe philosophy predicted the future we live in.’ available at : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/11/accelerationism-how-a-fringe-philosophy-predicted-the-future-we-live-in

Sari Fleming-Standen – 33652248