Inroduction

This dissertation analyses the representation in the modern zombie genre with a focus on two texts: Alejandro Brugués’, Juan of the Dead (2011) and Yeon Sang-ho’s, Train to Busan (2016). Both films criticize patriarchal ideologies, and environmental and consumerist causes of the apocalypse through their depiction of societal destruction. However, this is contrasted with a sense of hope presented through: the character development of the protagonist; the narrative strands of masculine and feminine; and the cinematic elements which highlight these changes.

This depiction of hope constitutes a Utopia in contrast to the dystopian setting and sociopolitical criticism of each film. Juan of the Dead and Train to Busan present both a dystopian world where the symbolic order is destroyed as brainless masses take over, and a Utopia where we value our humanity, kindness, and social connections over the consumption of false objects of desire.

Both films criticize patriarchal ideologies, and environmental and consumerist causes of the apocalypse through their depiction of societal destruction.

Noortje Birdie Lodders: Posted on Facebook and IG on Apr 18, 2022

Highlights

• Film acts as fantasy; replicating the dreams in which the truth of human desire can be found, therefore lending itself to a psychoanalytical approach. Film form, when analysed, reveals the hopes and fears of modern society.
• The survivors of the modern zombie genre represent a utopian vision of the future, challenging the societal flaws the zombies signify, therefore establishing a new order. Often this is in criticism of the capitalist patriarchy the apocalypse has decimated. Yet, this also represents a broader narrative of the subject and ‘other,’ which lies more at the core of the human struggle for agency and the subconscious drive of our desires.
• This transformation the survivors undergo is traumatic and involves the compromise of their instinctual needs, their conscious humanity and control, and the more profound desire of the subconscious.

Highlights

• In Juan of the Dead the dissatisfaction is with the powerlessness through autocratic control and neocolonialism, and the resulting lack of agency and opportunity of the average Cuban.
• In Train to Busan there is a similar dissatisfaction with the traditional hierarchical male power structure and the corrupting influences of global capitalism.
• In Juan of the Dead, Juan’s character development and his increasing independence and altruism, influenced by his daughter Camila, represent a new hope for the future as Juan is freed from political control but maintains a sense of individual and national pride. Images of Havana and the sea surrounding it are ubiquitous and symbolize Juan’s conflict as he questions whether to stay and fight or abandon his beloved country.
• In Train to Busan, Seok-woo evolves from a self-absorbed workaholic to a kind and caring father, through his love for his daughter. He embraces love and hope through images of light as he sacrifices himself so the world can begin anew; freed from patriarchal control and symbolized by the surviving woman and child.

Highlights

The science-fiction and horror genres, while providing escapist entertainment, reflect the concerns and criticisms of the time in which they are produced and aired and have a more profound significance than is initially evident relying on, “the spectacle of social disintegration. The zombie genre is the story of two bodies in decay - the individual corpses of the undead and the social body as a whole” (Sconce 99).

A broader narrative has emerged in the zombie genre, and new life. These new films will continue to bring our greatest nightmare to life but will also provide a glimmer of hope allowing the spectator the fantasy of Utopia: “Monstrous utopia lives on in stories, dreams, music, art, and moments of resistance that prefigure the grotesque movements through which the collective laborer throws off its zombified state in favor of something new, frightening, and beautiful” (McNally 132).

Experience at MALCS

I made the decision to complete a Masters later in my life/ career and chose the MALCS course as it gave me the opportunity to explore many of my passions - film, literature, and popular culture. While it is challenging adding part time study to a full time teaching career I found the lectures and my interactions with my peers stimulating and a nice escape from the day to day routine. My motivation to complete the course was my own intellectual enrichment but I have found that my knowledge gained during the course has enriched my teaching particularly in my IB Diploma English classes.