The Conceptual Mise-en-Scène in The Asthenic Syndrome: Dialogues between Cinema, Art and Poetry in Kira Muratova

This article explores underlying concepts of the aesthetics of the film Asthenic Syndrome (1989), directed by Kira Muratova. The methodology adopted involves a comparative analysis of the elements of the mise-en-scène with examples from the visual arts, more specifically, installations, performances and paintings from the unofficial conceptual art produced in the Soviet Union between 1960-1980, based on theoretical perspectives on conceptual art and situating them in the USSR context. To enrich this comparison, this analysis uses concepts of cinematographic language and relates them to the dynamics of poetic cinema and the time-image, which helps to classify this film’s images and aesthetic choices more precisely, highlighting the connections among different artistic media.

KEYWORDS:
Kira Muratova; Soviet Cinema; Conceptual Art; Poetic Cinema; Film Analysis