Affective telepathy, or the intuition of the heart: Persona with Mulholland Drive

Abstract

This paper investigates the affective dynamism of the cinematic experience in terms of the so-called intuition of the heart. Inspired by the writings of Jean-Luc Nancy, it shows how the affective circulation between the film and the spectator can be a matter of sharing rather than a consequence of character identification or the satisfaction of narrative desire. The (in)operative similarity in the heart of Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966) and David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001) stands central in the discussion. But the concept of heart touches not merely on our affective intelligence, but also on matters of coexistence, vulnerability, and the securing of personal boundaries; in other words, the crisis of affect. This paper argues that these films teach us broken mode of being as a precondition for ‘filmic ethics’ to emerge.

Keywords:

• Mulholland Drive (2001)
• David Lynch
• Ingmar Bergman
• Persona (1966)
• Jean-Luc Nancy

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Eliza Steinbock and Wanda Strauven.