Katabasis in Myth and Film

The picture in word

The Katabatic Descent

For my project I decided to create a story of a katabasis based on loss, which is similar to the katabasis of Julie in the movie Bleu, through the use of computer-edited photography. In the photo I used filters, color alterations, and color deletions to bring out the story telling elements that I wanted to include.

The katabasis of the main character in the image is a result of trying to go clean from cigarettes. The main character is going through withdrawals, anger, and depression from the lack of this wanted substance. The main character can only think about cigarettes but at the same time can’t get any because he wants to leave it all behind. Because of the desire to quit smoking he is more withdrawn from friends who still smoke because he does not want to be tempted to get a cigarette from other friends who do. Also he doesn’t want to be reminded about the situation he is in.

This particular scene portrayed is a symbolic scene that takes the story and compresses it into this image. The setting of the picture is a shower and the reason for this location is because of the shower is a symbol of cleansing. However for the main character there is a force blocking him from becoming cleansed. Strewn about the shower are empty cigarette boxes. These show that he is stuck with the thoughts of the cigarettes. The cigarette boxes are empty however showing that he isn’t able to get anything although he is haunted by the image of the cigarettes. The cigarettes imbedded in his mind are a barrier to him and conflict with the cleanliness of the shower showing that he cannot be completely clean, or begin an anabasis, until the cigarettes are off his mind. The coloration that is in the image also emphasizes the main characters concentration on the cigarettes and nothing else in his surroundings. And everything that actually is colored in the photo has a blue filter on it that darkens the color and expands on the idea of depressing.

The way that the main character is displayed in the image shows a lot about the trouble and hellish experience that he is going through. First of all, his posture is one of sadness and reflects on the attitude of the scene. The way he is slumped on the wall shows some helplessness as well. The way the character is facing emphasizes a decent for him and also he is facing the packs of empty cigarette boxes. By facing the cigarette boxes it shows the characters unwanted dependence from the addiction to the cigarettes and again shows they are on his mind. The shadows that are brought out especially on the main character help show the dark tone of the scenario. It is also darker the further down you look in the picture and that brings in again a descent into hell.

This story from the picture correlates to the story from the movie Bleu and its katabatic experience that the main character faces. Both of these characters have a katabasis that stems from loss; for Julie in Bleu it is the loss of close family and for the main character of the photo it is a loss of an addictive substance. From this they both begin a descent into their own hell. Both characters are stuck with a memory of the lost and both want to get rid of this memory but it still haunts them both. As Julie becomes more distant from friends, the same happens with the main character of the photo, as said earlier. Although not specifically shown, the main character withdraws from friends who smoke so that way the main character can try to get rid of the memories of the lost like Julie.

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