In 2018, I set out to create an experimental dance film, a choreography based on love scenes from classic Hollywood films. The film would be based on mise-en-scene, where characters would approach each other and drift away again. This continuous ebb and flow would serve as the foundation of the film.

Over the span of four years, I meticulously curated an archive of approximately 1200 films. I analysed every scene where men and women interacted with one another. Interesting shots and scenes from those films were cataloged, resulting in a large database of cinematic fragments.

During this research, the notion grew that this convention in mise-en-scene was less innocent than I initially thought. I knew of the gratuitous physical violence against women in films from this time and was aware of the idea of the male gaze from the writings of Laura Mulvey. However, after looking at hundreds of examples, the mise-en-scene I was looking for felt like a form of violence in itself. It appeared subtle and concealed, rooted in the limitations imposed on women’s physical movement and agency within cinematic space. Women were subtly approached, chased, or even guided by their male counterparts. Astonishingly, I discovered that these cinematic conventions persisted across various mainstream film genres in more recent history.

This insight appeared to align with the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, a theoretical framework developed by Peter Glick and Susan T. Fiske. In their study, they differentiate between hostile sexism and benevolent sexism. Hostile sexism being the obvious prejudice and discriminatory element of sexism, and benevolent sexism being a form of sexism subtly embedded in our culture where women are being deprived of agency to make decisions on their own, all under the cover of good intentions. ↦

↦ Furthermore, another intriguing observation emerged: love and violence exhibited an extraordinary symbiotic relationship. I witnessed scenes where female characters endured violent pursuits, beatings, and even strangulation, only to swiftly find themselves at the feet of their assailants, enveloped in a profound love. The emotional and psychological simplification of female characters, as well as the portrayal of male-female relationships, continue to persist in contemporary cinema. It is not entirely uncommon to see a rape scene evolve into a love scene. The overall movement of this film develops in a way resembling such a violent love scene: a seemingly innocent chase developing into violence and culminating in an overwhelming display of love and submission.

By weaving shots together from hundreds of different films, I aim to question and reveal the cinematic conventions of that time. I aspire to engage audiences, urging them to perceive these conventions in relation to present-day cinema. I hope this prompts viewers to contemplate how these conventions shape our culture and our understanding of reality.

As a man, I was initially unaware of the concept of benevolent sexism until I undertook this project. It was a revelation to me, as I came to recognise that I myself had employed this very type of mise-en-scene in several of my own school projects as a young student. Having these personal realisations helped push the project forward because I was convinced of its necessity.