Italian cinema audiences: histories and memories of cinema-going in Post-war Italy

Abstract

television was fundamental in constructing his sense of the world beyond the room. He also refers to Ma’s (Brie Larson) interview on television after their escape from the room and how she uses language to create her reality of that experience. The book ends with an interview with Abrahamson in which he offers insights into the motivation behind his filmmaking choices, including his interest in providing a space for what he calls a ‘present tense encounter’ with a character that ‘at least appears, or can appear, as unmediated by an author’ (197). Throughout the book Monahan uses a three-pronged approach: focusing on the philosophical insights offered by the films, using the films as an opportunity to illustrate theory for film students, and, explaining how other films and directors can illuminate Abrahamson’s creative process. This is an ambitious approach to Abrahamson’s work, and at times this triple method can disrupt the flow of the analysis, which is disappointing given that Monahan’s reading of the films is insightful and draws on theory in a nuanced manner. It would be useful to have a conclusion to the book, offering a section in which the themes uniting the films could be connected. The strength of The Films of Lenny Abrahamson lies in Monahan’s knowledge of the films and his ability to draw out their significance, both in the context of Irish film history and in how they contribute to an understanding of film theory. Monahan’s book is a useful first work on an important director.