Overview

Combining Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, Iranian Shi'ite thought, and Islamicate sexualities, Iranian Cinema with Psychoanalysis: The Interpreter of Desires provides a groundbreaking analysis of the logic of desire and sexuality in key films of contemporary Iranian cinema, arguing that there is a profound, albeit surprising, correlation between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis that has remained unthought. Looking through the prism of psychoanalysis, Farshid Kazemi argues that censorship on the representation and expression of sexual desire in Iranian films has, contrary to the desired effect, produced a cinema of desire. This book is the first to provide an analysis of the unconscious structure of desire and sexuality operative in post-revolutionary Iranian cinema, demonstrating that psychoanalytic literature is uniquely positioned to shed light on this aspect of film. Kazemi uncovers the hidden libidinal economy of Iranian cinema by exposing the fact that despite the State censor’s desire to suppress desire, it has inadvertently inscribed desire in its formal structure. The book offers a compelling and innovative examination of Iranian cinema through a psychoanalytic lens, contributing significantly to the field of film studies. Iranian Cinema with Psychoanalysis will be of great interest to academics and scholars of film studies, psychoanalytic studies, Lacanian theory, film theory, Iranian cinema, global cinema, Iranian studies, and Middle Eastern studies.

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9781032871295

Table of Contents

Reviews

"“Cinema arrived in Iran around the same time it arrived in the rest of the world, but it gave birth to psychoanalysis (or its precursor) centuries before Freud invented it. This is at least what we can surmise from this fascinating book. Kazemi offers a rich and surprising history of the entanglement of Iranian thinkers -- from the medieval ages to the editors of Cahiers du cinema and beyond -- in matters psychic and cinematic. He also provides compelling analyses of films from both the New Iranian Cinema, which emerged with a good deal of fanfare in the 1990s, and a newer, eerie, weird cinema recently unleashed from the constraints of the former.” - Joan Copjec, Brown University ""The book is a pioneering exploration of the intersection between Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis, filling a gap in the literature. It rests on a novel premise, arguing for a significant homology between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis relating to their joint concern with repressed sexual desire. Moreover, it demonstrates how despite – or because of – its concern with modesty, Iranian cinema has inadvertently inscribed desire into its formal structures."" – Shohini Chaudhuri, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex, UK ""Farshid Kazemi’s The Interpreter of Desires is the book that we’ve been waiting for. It’s the first great work on the most important cinema in the world today—Iranian cinema. Kazemi not only reveals what’s at work in key films of the Iranian cinematic wonder but also lays out with remarkable clarity how to think about films anew in psychoanalytic terms. For anyone with the remotest interest in contemporary film, The Interpreter of Desires is an absolute necessity."" – Todd McGowan, Professor and Director of Film and Television Studies, University of Vermont, USA “Cinema arrived in Iran around the same time it arrived in the rest of the world, but it gave birth to psychoanalysis (or its precursor) centuries before Freud invented it. This is at least what we can surmise from this fascinating book. Kazemi offers a rich and surprising history of the entanglement of Iranian thinkers -- from the medieval ages to the editors of Cahiers du cinema and beyond -- in matters psychic and cinematic. He also provides compelling analyses of films from both the New Iranian Cinema, which emerged with a good deal of fanfare in the 1990s, and a newer, eerie, weird cinema recently unleashed from the constraints of the former.” - Joan Copjec, Brown University ""The book is a pioneering exploration of the intersection between Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis, filling a gap in the literature. It rests on a novel premise, arguing for a significant homology between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis relating to their joint concern with repressed sexual desire. Moreover, it demonstrates how despite – or because of – its concern with modesty, Iranian cinema has inadvertently inscribed desire into its formal structures."" – Shohini Chaudhuri, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex, UK ""Farshid Kazemi’s The Interpreter of Desires is the book that we’ve been waiting for. It’s the first great work on the most important cinema in the world today—Iranian cinema. Kazemi not only reveals what’s at work in key films of the Iranian cinematic wonder but also lays out with remarkable clarity how to think about films anew in psychoanalytic terms. For anyone with the remotest interest in contemporary film, The Interpreter of Desires is an absolute necessity."" – Todd McGowan, Professor and Director of Film and Television Studies, University of Vermont, USA"

“Cinema arrived in Iran around the same time it arrived in the rest of the world, but it gave birth to psychoanalysis (or its precursor) centuries before Freud invented it. This is at least what we can surmise from this fascinating book. Kazemi offers a rich and surprising history of the entanglement of Iranian thinkers -- from the medieval ages to the editors of Cahiers du cinema and beyond -- in matters psychic and cinematic. He also provides compelling analyses of films from both the New Iranian Cinema, which emerged with a good deal of fanfare in the 1990s, and a newer, eerie, weird cinema recently unleashed from the constraints of the former.” - Joan Copjec, Brown University ""The book is a pioneering exploration of the intersection between Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis, filling a gap in the literature. It rests on a novel premise, arguing for a significant homology between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis relating to their joint concern with repressed sexual desire. Moreover, it demonstrates how despite – or because of – its concern with modesty, Iranian cinema has inadvertently inscribed desire into its formal structures."" – Shohini Chaudhuri, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex, UK ""Farshid Kazemi’s The Interpreter of Desires is the book that we’ve been waiting for. It’s the first great work on the most important cinema in the world today—Iranian cinema. Kazemi not only reveals what’s at work in key films of the Iranian cinematic wonder but also lays out with remarkable clarity how to think about films anew in psychoanalytic terms. For anyone with the remotest interest in contemporary film, The Interpreter of Desires is an absolute necessity."" – Todd McGowan, Professor and Director of Film and Television Studies, University of Vermont, USA “Cinema arrived in Iran around the same time it arrived in the rest of the world, but it gave birth to psychoanalysis (or its precursor) centuries before Freud invented it. This is at least what we can surmise from this fascinating book. Kazemi offers a rich and surprising history of the entanglement of Iranian thinkers -- from the medieval ages to the editors of Cahiers du cinema and beyond -- in matters psychic and cinematic. He also provides compelling analyses of films from both the New Iranian Cinema, which emerged with a good deal of fanfare in the 1990s, and a newer, eerie, weird cinema recently unleashed from the constraints of the former.” - Joan Copjec, Brown University ""The book is a pioneering exploration of the intersection between Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis, filling a gap in the literature. It rests on a novel premise, arguing for a significant homology between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis relating to their joint concern with repressed sexual desire. Moreover, it demonstrates how despite – or because of – its concern with modesty, Iranian cinema has inadvertently inscribed desire into its formal structures."" – Shohini Chaudhuri, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex, UK ""Farshid Kazemi’s The Interpreter of Desires is the book that we’ve been waiting for. It’s the first great work on the most important cinema in the world today—Iranian cinema. Kazemi not only reveals what’s at work in key films of the Iranian cinematic wonder but also lays out with remarkable clarity how to think about films anew in psychoanalytic terms. For anyone with the remotest interest in contemporary film, The Interpreter of Desires is an absolute necessity."" – Todd McGowan, Professor and Director of Film and Television Studies, University of Vermont, USA

“Cinema arrived in Iran around the same time it arrived in the rest of the world, but it gave birth to psychoanalysis (or its precursor) centuries before Freud invented it. This is at least what we can surmise from this fascinating book. Kazemi offers a rich and surprising history of the entanglement of Iranian thinkers -- from the medieval ages to the editors of Cahiers du cinema and beyond -- in matters psychic and cinematic. He also provides compelling analyses of films from both the New Iranian Cinema, which emerged with a good deal of fanfare in the 1990s, and a newer, eerie, weird cinema recently unleashed from the constraints of the former.” - Joan Copjec, Brown University ""The book is a pioneering exploration of the intersection between Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis, filling a gap in the literature. It rests on a novel premise, arguing for a significant homology between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis relating to their joint concern with repressed sexual desire. Moreover, it demonstrates how despite – or because of – its concern with modesty, Iranian cinema has inadvertently inscribed desire into its formal structures."" – Shohini Chaudhuri, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex, UK ""Farshid Kazemi’s The Interpreter of Desires is the book that we’ve been waiting for. It’s the first great work on the most important cinema in the world today—Iranian cinema. Kazemi not only reveals what’s at work in key films of the Iranian cinematic wonder but also lays out with remarkable clarity how to think about films anew in psychoanalytic terms. For anyone with the remotest interest in contemporary film, The Interpreter of Desires is an absolute necessity."" – Todd McGowan, Professor and Director of Film and Television Studies, University of Vermont, USA “Cinema arrived in Iran around the same time it arrived in the rest of the world, but it gave birth to psychoanalysis (or its precursor) centuries before Freud invented it. This is at least what we can surmise from this fascinating book. Kazemi offers a rich and surprising history of the entanglement of Iranian thinkers -- from the medieval ages to the editors of Cahiers du cinema and beyond -- in matters psychic and cinematic. He also provides compelling analyses of films from both the New Iranian Cinema, which emerged with a good deal of fanfare in the 1990s, and a newer, eerie, weird cinema recently unleashed from the constraints of the former.” - Joan Copjec, Brown University ""The book is a pioneering exploration of the intersection between Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis, filling a gap in the literature. It rests on a novel premise, arguing for a significant homology between post-revolutionary Iranian cinema and psychoanalysis relating to their joint concern with repressed sexual desire. Moreover, it demonstrates how despite – or because of – its concern with modesty, Iranian cinema has inadvertently inscribed desire into its formal structures."" – Shohini Chaudhuri, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, University of Essex, UK ""Farshid Kazemi’s Iranian Cinema with Psychoanalysis is the book that we’ve been waiting for. It’s the first great work on the most important cinema in the world today—Iranian cinema. Kazemi not only reveals what’s at work in key films of the Iranian cinematic wonder but also lays out with remarkable clarity how to think about films anew in psychoanalytic terms. For anyone with the remotest interest in contemporary film, this book is an absolute necessity."" – Todd McGowan, Professor and Director of Film and Television Studies, University of Vermont, USA

Author Information

Farshid Kazemi is Lecturer in Film Studies at the School for the Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University, Canada. He holds a PhD in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Edinburgh. His research interests combine an interdisciplinary and theoretical approach to film and media studies, film theory, Iranian studies, and Islamic and Middle Eastern studies. His book on the film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was published by Liverpool University Press in 2021.

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