The Interplay of Affect and Power Structures in Mountains May Depart
Abstract
In recent years, affective theory has gained significant attention in Western film studies and gradually influenced Chinese cinema research. However, its application in Chinese film studies remains superficial, particularly in the lack of in-depth exploration of the political nature of affect and its interaction with power structures. As a representative of China's ‘Sixth Generation’ directors, Jia Zhangke is not primarily known for political narratives, but his works centre on social realities, implicitly revealing the oppression and influence of social power on individuals through the depiction of ordinary lives. This study applies affective theory to analyse the interaction between affect and power structures in Jia Zhangke’s Mountains May Depart. The analysis focuses on three dimensions: affect as the embodiment of power, affect as the physical manifestation of power, and affect as a means of resistance and self-rescue. Through specific analyses of the film texts, the study demonstrates that affective movement is both an important medium for emotional expression and a key to the operation and resistance of power in film narratives. The study finds that Mountains May Depart fuses individual emotions with social power through the multidimensional expression of affective movement. The affective movement not only demonstrates the implicit operation of power, but also expresses the individual's resistance to social oppression and the reconstruction of subjectivity through the transformation of emotions.
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