The Films of Lenny Abrahamson: A Filmmaking of Philosophy

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The Films of Lenny Abrahamson: A Filmmaking of Philosophys of provides a comprehensive study of the films of contemporary, highly critically-appraised Irish director Lenny Abrahamson. As well as considering the aesthetics, cultural reflections and philosophical concerns in the better known work of this dynamic and profoundly original Irish filmmaker, it also looks at his short film 3 Joes and his little-seen student film Mendel. As the first sustained study of Abrahamsons engaging and cinematically rich work, Barry Monahans book sheds light on the aesthetic wealth of the artist and connects his stylistic innovations to the context of his projects socio-cultural background, to his own influences in modern cinema going beyond Irish film, to reflect upon the works of auteurs such as Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kubrick, and Kaurismki among others and to a broader reflection on what his canon has to contribute to the philosophy of cinema, art, and questions about human existence in the 21st century.

Reviews

Barry Monahans book is an insightful treatment of Lenny Abrahamsons cinematic oeuvre, a thorough analysis of Abrahamsons seven films that moves beyond the filmmakers national context to explore the films transnational and intertextual inspiration and philosophical concerns. I strongly recommend this perceptive study to anyone interested in the work of this exciting Irish director. * Raita Merivirta, Researcher, University of Turku, Finland *
Barry Monahan shows us why Lenny Abrahamson is one of Irelands most important filmmakers. In shrewd, engaging readings of Abrahamsons oeuvre, Monahan explores the power of cinema to lay bare what it means to be human. An ambitious study that does not disappoint. * Kathleen Vejvoda, Professor of English, Bridgewater State University, USA *

Author Bio

Barry Monahan is lecturer in Film Studies at the University College Cork, Ireland. He has published Irelands Theatre on Film: Style, Stories and the National Stage on Screen (2009), and also written on Irish cinema from different theoretical and aesthetic perspectives in various collections of essays, including Screening Irish America (2009), Genre and Cinema: Ireland and Transnationalism (2007), and Viewpoints: Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Visual Texts (2013). He contributes regularly to Estudios Irlandeses, the Spanish Journal of Irish Studies.