Film Studies alumna Sophie Barbour ('21) publishes two articles in Film Matters Magazine
Film Studies alumna, Sophie Barbour (B.A. Film Studies/English, 2021) has had two recent essays published in Film Matters Magazine.
The first essay, published in Film Matters Volume 12, Number 3: “Into the Spider-Verse and a New Age of Comic Realism,” examines realism in the animated feature film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
“The plot of the film is concerned with the collision of multiple universes, and thus the narrative brings together different realities, each of which subscribe to a different animation style. Defining ‘reality’ in an animated film challenges the traditional divide between realism and formalism in film theory, which relies on photorealism as the benchmark of reproducing reality. Newer media theories introduce a transmedia approach to realism that are concerned with the fidelity of an adaptation to its source material. With these tools, we can see how Spider-Verse’s aesthetics heighten the narrative impact.” (from Barbour’s Abstract in Film Matters 12.3)
Barbour's second article, "Divines and the Constructed Self," published in Film Matters Volume 13, Number 1, looks at gender and identity performance in the 2016 French-language film Divines. "As a North African girl living in a Roma camp outside of a Parisian banlieue, Dounia faces a multitude of challenges if she wishes to not only survive, but ultimately escape her socio-economic position. To do so, Dounia must enter the banlieue’s male-dominated economy by masquerading in a male role. This performance of gender exposes other pieces of her identity as performed, and performance itself is exposed as her most powerful tool toward escape." (from Barbour's Abstract in Film Matters 13.1)
Film Matters is a peer-reviewed publication celebrating the work of undergraduate film scholars. Each issue features articles, reviews, and service-oriented pieces, such as profiles of film studies departments, articles that engage the undergraduate film studies community and prepare students for graduate study in the field, and resources and opportunities for undergraduate scholars.
Ohio State students, faculty, and staff can access Film Matters through the Ohio State University library.
