Beyond the shoulder of Orion; reality, existence and the problem of identity in mainstream cinematic philosophy

This monograph sets to explore the matter of existence, reality and identity, and it does so as seen in 15 modern American films. The main point of the book is to examine how these films understand and express the thin line between reality and fantasy and how this influences our perception of our personal existence and identity. The 15 films examined in the book are divided thematically into 5 chapters, whereas there is a short prologue, an introduction as well a short epilogue. During the research for this book, I have failed to spot any books or articles in journals or magazines that explore the issues that this book brings up and in some cases some of the films analysed in the book are not even mentioned elsewhere. Thus, this monograph is characterised by originality not only in terms of the way the films are examined, but also in terms of the choice of some of the films. In the lap of Morpheus; existence, reality, and identity in the dream state: Eyes wide shut (1999), The Matrix (1999), Inception (2010) The distortion of reality and the concept of consciousness as multiplicity: Primer (2004), Triangle (2009), Coherence (2013) The distortion of reality as defence mechanism: Fight club (1999), Identity (2003), Shutter Island (2010) The descent to insanity: In the mouth of madness (1994), Pi (1998), Black Swan (2010) The social aspect of the problem of identity: Blade runner (1982), Cube (1997), The neon demon (2016) From the above films, academic research shows that nearly half have been left out. Primer , Triangle , Coherence , Identity , In the mouth of madness, Pi , The cube , The neon demon are nowhere to be found in the philosophy-of-cinema bibliography (apart from short videos on YouTube that, I must admit, give interesting points of view, but not in the academic and philosophical manner that this book attempts), whereas the rest of the films, though discussed, only offer analyses which are interesting and to the point, but rather one-dimensional. What this book does, is to offer different approaches for the reader to unlock new doors when watching those films instead of enjoying only the superficial image (though still very enjoyable to watch).