The Simulation Argument and the Essence of Human Being: The Cinematic Universe of the Perception of Beauty in The Congress

Year 2021, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 707 - 726, 30.07.2021

Selen Gökçem Akyıldız

https://doi.org/10.17680/erciyesiletisim.898670

Abstract

The Simulation Argument and the Essence of Human Being: The Cinematic Universe of the Perception of Beauty in The CongressBeauty myth is one of the cornerstones of the Western culture in which Hollywood is located and framed rules of physical appearance of women. However, the idea of praising youth and beauty and the idea of old age turning people into nothing, is becoming an accepted idea in society every day with the help of social media. Directed by Ari Folman, The Congress, a futuristic dystopia movie released in 2013, is a film inspired by Stanislaw Lem's book The Futurological Congress (1974). Based on the beauty myth of Hollywood, the director works by transforming his character visiting the World Futurology Congress into the story of a living Hollywood star being forced to choose between reality and an illusionary world. The aim of this study is to examine the presentation of the beauty perception in the cinematic universe by blending illusion and reality theories, making it valuable at the expense of human existence, and creating another illusion by moving the myths of youth and beauty to the parallel universes created by analyzing content.

Keywords

Cinema, Simulation Theory, Beauty Myth, Animation, Reality

Simülasyon Argümanı ve İnsanın Özü: The Congress Filminde Güzellik Algısının Sinematik Evreni

Abstract

Hollywood’un içinde bulunduğu Batı kültürünün temel taşlarından birisi olan güzellik mitinin, 1930’lu yıllarda başlayan yıldız sistemi ile doruğa ulaşması ve takip eden yıllarda bilhassa kadınların fiziksel görünüşlerini belirleyen kuralları çerçevelediği bilinmektedir. Ne var ki teknolojik gelişmeler ışığında gençliğin ve güzelliğin övülmesi, daha uzun yıllar yaşlanmaktan kaçınılmasının telkin edilmesi, yaşlılığın insanı bir hiçe çevirmesi fikri sosyal medyanın da yardımı ile her geçen gün toplumda kabul gören bir düşünce haline gelmektedir. Ari Folman’ın yönettiği, fütürist bir distopya filmi olan The Congress (Son Şans), Stanislaw Lem’in The Futurological Congress (1971) adlı kitabından esinlenerek gerçek ve anime edilmiş görüntünün bir arada kullanılarak çekildiği bir filmdir. Yönetmen, Hollywood’un güzellik mitinden yola çıkarak, ana akım kültürün bitmeyen metalaşmasına ait göndermeler ile filmi şekillendirmiştir. Bu çalışma, güzellik algısının yanılsama ve gerçeklik teorileri ile harmanlanarak sunulduğu filmde bu algının insanın var oluşunun hiçe sayılması pahasına değerli kılınması üzerinde durmaktadır. Analiz sonucunda ise bir aktrisin kimliğinin dijital imgeyle belirlenmiş yeni film endüstrisinin hizmetinde nasıl yok olduğu ve sanat eserlerinin biricikliklerinin kaybolması gibi, insanların da biricik ve eşsiz olma özelliklerinin geride bırakılarak insan yığınları şeklinde sistemin ilahlaştırdığı kişilere benzemelerinin desteklendiği görüşünün irdelendiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Keywords

Sinema, Simülasyon Teorisi, Güzellik Miti, Animasyon, Gerçeklik

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