https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i4.086
Consuming Nature: Survival, Spectacle, and Capitalist Modalities in the Survival Thriller Manjummel Boys (2024)
MIDHUN MOHAN
Research Scholar
Department of English
Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur
ORCID- 0009-0007-4999-0868
PROF. T.J. ABRAHAM
Professor
Department of EnglishCentral University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur
Email: abraham@cutn.ac.in
Abstract: The paper attempts to study the unecological representation of nature, specifically as mediated through profit-driven capitalistic modalities, using a regional Indian survivor thriller film, Manjummel Boys (2024). Unecological representations are those measures that obscure ecological interdependence by subordinating nature to capitalist spectacle. The subtle commercial aspects inherent in the production of the film conceal ecological concerns beneath a commercial facade. This commodification compromises the ecological consciousness of the film. As far as survival thrillers are concerned, nature will be an imminent aspect. Given that the majority of survival thrillers are set within natural environments, nature emerges as a central narrative element often instrumentalized to heighten tension or dramatize human vulnerability. These modalities as a whole, destabilizes the ecological balance of the film, yet position nature ambiguously, oscillating between an antagonist and a superficially rendered backdrop. Capitalistic foregrounding of the mainstream film positions nature as tiny entities of consumable products devoid of life and vitality. Where spectacle over substance is often celebrated. Capitalist modalities not only destabilize ecological consciousness but also reshape audience perception, turning nature into a consumable spectacle. The antagonistic portrayals emerge out of conditionalities that are cultural, economic and ideological in nature. This makes the aspect of contingency of the antagonistic portrayals questionable. This study employs Guy Debord’s theory of the spectacle as a critical lens to analyse the antagonistic portrayal of nature, situating such representations within the broader capitalist logic of commodification and passive consumption.
Keywords: Survival Thrillers, Spectacle, Capitalism, Anthropocentrism, Film, Malayalam Cinema
Read Full Manuscript PDF