What Is “Catharsis”

When was the last time you cried while watching a movie? Do you still remember the exact scene? Many people suppress their emotions because of various events in life. Art can evoke the emotional release of these feelings, also known as catharsis. Catharsis can be an overwhelming emotional experience. Films with cathartic power can move audiences to tears while leaving them completely satisfied. What is catharsis?

The Literary Definition of Catharsis

Catharsis is a term widely used in art, and its origins can be traced back to art itself. What is the meaning of catharsis? Let’s define catharsis and analyze its origins.

What Is Catharsis?

Catharsis is the release and relief of strong or repressed emotions. The word “catharsis” comes from the Greek “katharsis,” meaning “purification” or “cleansing.” In the field of psychology, the American Psychological Association defines catharsis as “the release of affect associated with traumatic events, which had previously been repressed, by bringing these events back into consciousness and re-experiencing them.”

As it applies to film and art, emotional catharsis can be the result of the emotional effect of tragic drama. Heroes in cathartic films often experience a cathartic release that leads to restoration.

What makes up catharsis in a story?

• The buildup of emotion
• Related experiences
• Connection with the characters
• Moving performances

The History of Emotional Catharsis

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle described catharsis as an emotional purification of fear and pity aroused by tragedy.

The term was later adopted by psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer. For them, catharsis was a therapeutic technique used to reduce psychological complexes by bringing them back into consciousness and allowing them to be expressed.

Today, however, the word has become synonymous with art. People often describe art that evokes emotion as cathartic. Music, theater, novels, and film can all contain cathartic elements related to the audience’s psychology. Art can trigger emotional catharsis by connecting with the audience’s personal experiences.

Cathartic art often reflects our own experiences. It allows us to connect with the work and the artist on a deeper level. One of the best mediums for creating cathartic art is film.

What Is Catharsis in Film?

Various art forms can produce catharsis. Music, novels, and theater can be incredibly emotional. But the medium of film has particular qualities that can effectively elicit emotional responses from audiences.

The first of these qualities is film’s ability to condense time. Through editing, a movie can present weeks, months, or even years in a matter of seconds. When done effectively, a film can connect viewers to its characters in a short span of time.

Once audiences connect with characters, everything the characters go through becomes more emotionally charged. The best technique for doing this is the montage. A montage condenses time and events to create a narrative sequence. The montage in Pixar’s Up connects us to these characters, only for tragedy to befall them.

What’s incredible about this montage is how it evokes so much emotion in the first ten minutes of the film. The reason is that the emotions of love and grief are part of the human experience. Humans have an innate connection to these two emotions. Filmmakers use both to heighten our feelings and then release them in an incredibly cathartic moment.

Film is also an extraordinarily visual medium. It allows us to see characters experience emotions. Theater is of course visual as well, but film uses the close-up. This lets us see the details of a character’s emotions and further provokes our own emotional response.

In Good Will Hunting, there is a cathartic moment when Will releases his repressed emotions to his friend and psychologist. Emotional tension is built by establishing Will’s abusive childhood and its impact on his life. Watch this example of catharsis and the excellent performance and execution.

The audience is able to witness his cathartic moment up close through filmmaking, creating a cathartic moment both for Will and for the viewers.

Of course, for this scene to reach an emotional peak, we need to understand everything that leads up to it. Keep in mind: the greater the buildup and repression, the greater the release.

The Value of Catharsis

When asked about Marvel movies, director Martin Scorsese famously compared them to theme parks, saying: “That’s not cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” Whether or not you agree with Scorsese, there is something to be said about the different kinds of experiences film can create.

Some films are purely escapist, allowing audiences to get away from reality for at least an hour. These types of movies have tremendous value. Even so, there is a clear distinction.

Other films, however, are a more internal experience. As Scorsese said, film can convey emotional and psychological experiences. This is a defining feature of Scorsese’s directing style. What is the meaning of catharsis? Why is it so important in film? Through catharsis, movies can build an intimate connection with the audience.

Cathartic films often linger in our minds. They not only affect how we see the world, but also very likely influence how we see ourselves. The value of cinematic catharsis lies not in the number of viewers, but in how the film stays with its audience afterward.