Conflict Cinemas in Northern Ireland and Brazil

Book excerpt: This book focuses on the analysis of sensorial representations of violent images in contemporary films that portray embodied violation in urban environments of street clashes and prisons in Northern Ireland and Brazil during the late twentieth century. There is an emphasis on the representation of senses and how they play a significant role in structuring narratives and mapping the cinematic landscapes of conflict. Whether on the streets and prisons of Belfast, Derry, São Paulo or Rio, the attention is on the endangered body and its fragility or strength. Analyzing films through the novel framework of sensorial perspective enables the understanding of urban and prison landscapes as part of a somatic geography that affects the corporeal engagement of the participants. As a multicultural study, this is an essential book for those interested in the relationship between cinema and history while taking into consideration the interactive roles of the senses and perception.