BLADE RUNNER 2049: A CASE STUDY OF AVANT-GARDE STORYTELLING

Abstract [English]

Dark yet enlightening, cruel yet humane, ambiguous yet clear and finally calm yet pacy; Blade Runner 2049 (2017) hits hard and in the right places. It redefines the concept of humanity in all its forms in addition to posing several existential and nihilistic questions Richards (2017). However, what is more striking is how it makes people go back to the basics and recalibrate their notions on what is humane and what is not. Denis Villeneuve’s futuristic tryst with gloom and doom is as disturbing as it is emotionally stirring. However, Blade Runner 2049 is also a definite attempt at avant-garde storytelling Guillen (2017). An unconventional cinematography, stunning visual effects, a distinctly experimental plotline, and a visible contempt for conventionality mark the movie’s diegesis. The movie also projects a dystopian world view – one that seems futuristic albeit being quintessentially contemporary Zhang (2017). In fact, Blade Runner 2049 remains loyal to the setting projected by the original version (Blade Runner) that came out in 1982 Propes (2021). A careful analysis reveals that the movie is nothing but a commentary on multiple issues including feminism, social decay, delinquency, imperialism, and brute exploitation. In a subtle way, the movie could also be a metaphorical representation of the unhindered march of science and technology, albeit at times with disastrous consequences. This paper makes a nuanced effort at dissecting the movie using two of the most well-known film theories – the Auteur Theory and the Feminist Film Theory. In the process, the paper also tries to segregate the avant-garde elements in the movie and establish it as a distinct case of novel narrative structure.