Opacity and Virtualization: a discourse analysis of Olmo and the seagull
Opacity, Virtualization, Documentary
The objective of presente research is to analyze the discourse of the movie Olmo and the seagull (2014), directed by Petra Costa and Lea Glob. Considering cinema as a field in which different positions compete against each other, we seek to analyze the movie from a critical perspective, in its relations to the considered hegemonic Hollywood discourse, in an attempt to understand as ideology and meaning production operate in both. Besides, we seek to analyze the selected material in its relations to the restrictions imposed by the documentary as a specific film genre, which enables us to oppose it against fiction. We also aim to analyze the object in its relations to concepts of virtualization as forged by Luiz Augusto Rezende (2013), as well as to the notions of opacity and transparency stabilished by Ismail Xavier (2005). Our hypothesis is that Olmo and the seagull constitutes a discursive formation that is aware of the powers of language and from a critical perspective subscribes to a relation of forces between it and the Hollywood entertainment by using operations that informs the spectator about the communicational process in which they are involved and challenge them to actively participate in the meaning production of the object istead of disguising its enuciative process.