ABSTRACT

This article studies the political dimension of friendship in Robert Guédiguian’s cinema, delving into the crucial role that conversation plays in this relationship, and taking Stanley Cavell’s thought as a main reference. Aristotle’s concept of civic friendship, along with its contemporary readings, and Cavell’s notion of conversation provide a theoretical frame for the analysis of three recent feature films directed by Guédiguian that present a strong thematic and narrative unity (and have barely received attention in previous scholarship): Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro/The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011), La Villa/The House by the Sea (2017) and Gloria Mundi (2019). Based on, but going beyond, Cavell’s moral theorisation of the filmic portrayal of human relationships, the analysis of these films has identified four milestones in the transformative process—both personal and political—that stems from conversation with friends: conformity, confrontation, acknowledgement and renewed community. In all three films, this process of change is not only presented as a progressive discovery of one’s own voice, but also as a progressive unmasking: both are necessary prerequisites for welcoming foreigners in need of acknowledgement and, consequently, for the renewal of community.

摘要

本文研究罗伯特·盖迪吉安电影中友谊的政治维度，深入探讨对话在这种关系中所起的关键作用，并以斯坦利·卡维尔的思想为主要参考。亚里士多德的公民友谊概念及其当代解读和卡维尔的对话概念为分析最近由格迪吉安执导的三部故事片提供了理论框架，这些故事片呈现出强烈的主题和叙事统一性（并且在以前的学术研究中几乎没有受到关注） : Les Neiges du Kilimanjaro/The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011), La Villa/The House by the Sea (2017) 和Gloria Mundi（2019）。基于但超越卡维尔电影对人际关系的描述的道德理论，对这些电影的分析确定了变革过程中的四个里程碑——个人和政治——源于与朋友的交谈：从众、对抗、承认和更新的社区。在所有三部电影中，这种变化的过程不仅表现为逐步发现自己的声音，而且表现为逐步揭露：两者都是欢迎需要承认的外国人的必要先决条件，因此也是社区更新的必要条件。