‘Strangely comforted’: The rhetoric of sincerity in Kirsten Lepore’s Hi Stranger

IF 0.1 0 FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION

Short Film Studies Pub Date : 2021-09-01 DOI:10.1386/sfs_00055_1

Johanet Kriel-de Klerk, Martin P. Rossouw

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This article examines the 2017 viral short film sensation, Kirsten Lepore’s Hi Stranger, with special attention to the weird, even unsettling, potency that her stop-motion animation manages to wield. Why is it that this admittedly ‘creepy’ short ultimately leaves viewers and commenters ‘strangely comforted’? A rhetorical solution to this question is proposed: Hi Stranger’s creepy-yet-comforting appeal derives from the density with which it incorporates an array of rhetorical devices and affective registers – particularly the ‘rhetoric of sincerity’ indicative of a more general ‘metamodern’ sensibility. The intensified sincere rhetoric at work in Hi Stranger moreover has a decidedly reflexive dimension, for this online crowd-puller draws on many devices and registers popular in amateur online videos too: its offers of low-stake, anonymous intimacy and no-strings gifting; its ASMR and ‘cute’ appeal; and its self-professed care and appreciation for the viewer.

查看原文本刊更多论文

“莫名的安慰”:柯尔斯顿·莱波雷的《嗨，陌生人》中真诚的修辞

这篇文章探讨了2017年轰动一时的短片《Kirsten Lepore的嗨陌生人》，特别关注她的定格动画所展现出的怪异甚至令人不安的力量。为什么这部公认“令人毛骨悚然”的短片最终会让观众和评论者感到“奇怪的安慰”？对此问题提出了一个修辞解决方案：《嗨，陌生人》令人毛骨悚然但令人欣慰的吸引力源于它融合了一系列修辞手法和情感语域的密度，尤其是“真诚的修辞”，表明了一种更普遍的“超现代”感性。此外，《嗨，陌生人》中强化的真诚言辞也具有明显的反射性，因为这款在线人群拉拢器吸引了许多设备，并在业余在线视频中广受欢迎：它提供低风险、匿名亲密和无条件礼物；其ASMR和“可爱”的吸引力；以及它自称对观众的关心和欣赏。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Short Film Studies FILM, RADIO, TELEVISION-

CiteScore

0.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： The main purposes of SFS are: To stimulate ongoing research on individual short films as a basis for a better understanding of the art form To provide a flow of cutting-edge teaching materials that can be used in courses in which short films are either studied or produced, at film schools or universities To offer fresh inspiration to filmmakers and other professionals working with short films in connection with festivals, national film institutes, regional film centres, etc. While the principal focus is on the short fiction film, other classic forms – such as the short documentary, the short experimental film and the short animation film – are also covered from time to time. In each issue, two productions are singled out for comprehensive presentation and close study. For each film, the reader will find production data, an interview with the director, a shot-by-shot breakdown of the film with a still illustrating every shot, a number of peer-reviewed articles that illuminate the film from a variety of perspectives and a link enabling subscribers to view the film.