Between Semiotics and Puzzle Narrative Structure: An Analytical Study of the Creation of Cognitive Dissonance in Zeller's The Father (2020)

ElHennawy, Merna Alaa Ahmed; Hassan, Inas Hussein; ElMansy, Sarah Yahya; Ghazal, Ahmed

doi:10.21608/jwadi.2025.401406.1222

Between Semiotics and Puzzle Narrative Structure: An Analytical Study of the Creation of Cognitive Dissonance in Zeller's The Father (2020)

نوع المستند : المقالة الأصلية

المؤلفون

¹ Teacher Assistant (part-timer) College of Language and Communication Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

² Professor of Applied Linguistics Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research College of Language and Communication (Alexandria) Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

³ Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics Head of Humanities Department College of Language and Communication (Alexandria) Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

⁴ Assistant Professor of Media Management - College of Management and Technology (Alexandria) Director of Innovative Center for Media and Marketing Executive Director of Alumni Association Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

10.21608/jwadi.2025.401406.1222

المستخلص

This study examines the means of constructing an impossible puzzle narrative structure, using Zeller’s The Father (2020) as its data by examining how the film immerses the viewers in a dementia patient’s fragmented mind. The film’s structure distinguishes it because it allows the film to be an experience rather than a story. The main aim of the study is to examine how the selected film employs psychological dissonance to create an impossible puzzle narrative, evoking a sense of disorientation in the viewers, and thus turns the film into a psychological experience. To highlight how the film manipulates classical narrative rules to create its puzzling structure, the study employs Kiss and Willemsen (2017) cognitive dissonance theory and conducts a semiotic analysis grounded in the analytical lenses of mise-en-scène and cinematography, drawing on the work of Bordwell et al. (2020). The findings reveal the means by which The Father (2020) creates its impossible puzzle narrative structure—spatial and temporal gaps, dual casting, semiotic alterations, among other elements. The study also reveals the techniques by which the viewers are turned into active participants in the meaning-making process of the film.

الكلمات الرئيسية