The Alienation Effect as a Communication Tool: Analyzing "The French Dispatch" Film

Abstract

Bertolt Brecht's aesthetic theories, including the alienation effect, have been effective in shaping communication with the audience in the realm of cinema. This effect prevents the audience from identifying with the characters, fostering an objective and critical perspective. This study addresses how Brecht's alienation effect from his epic theater theory is utilized in modern cinema. In this context, the functionality of the alienation effect as a communication tool is examined through the film The French Dispatch. The study is structured according to the phenomenological design among qualitative analysis methods. According to the findings, Brecht's alienation effect is effective in determining the dramatic structures of films. The French Dispatch contains elements that evoke this effect. In the film, the direct address of characters to the camera, color changes, editing techniques, and the presence of narrators bring to mind the Brechtian approach. Considering the three separate stories told in the film and their visual and formal characteristics, it has been concluded that the alienation effect, through the communication established with the audience, facilitates the development of a critical approach.