Remapping the European Road

• Main Author: Gott, Michael
• Format: Book Part
• Language: unknown
• Published: Edinburgh University Press 2016
• Subjects: Kiruna
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9780748698677.003.0003

This chapter assessesfive contemporary films from three different nations that respond to the Europeanization of economies and identity formulations with a particular eye on how the passages through diverse landscapes are filmed: Le Grand Voyage, Rendez-vous à Kiruna (Anna Novion, 2012, France), St. Jacques… la Mecque (Colline Serreau, 2005, France), Torpedo (Matthieu Donck, 2012, Belgium/France) and La Vraie vie est ailleurs (Frédéric Choffat, 2006, Switzerland). The case studies are used to examine the primary motivations for being on the road in French-language Europe (and Europe in general) and the ways in which the various modes of transit involved are represented and how the techniques and practicalities affect the issue of representation. Each film under consideration seeks to outline the new ‘soft borders’ of Europe by crossing a variety of national, regional and social boundaries.