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, which is also called catharsis. Catharsis can be an overwhelming emotional experience. Films with a cathartic effect can move audiences to tears while also leaving them completely satisfied. What is catharsis?

The Literary Definition of Catharsis

Catharsis is a term widely used in the arts, and its origin 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 that had previously been repressed, by bringing these events back into consciousness and reexperiencing them.”

As it applies to film and art, emotional catharsis may result from the emotional impact of tragic drama. Heroes in cathartic films often undergo a cathartic release that leads to restoration.

What makes up catharsis in a story?

• The buildup of emotion
• Relevant experiences
• Connection with characters
• Affecting performances

The History of Emotional Catharsis

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle described catharsis as an emotional purification of fear and pity produced 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 recalling them into consciousness and allowing their expression.

Today, however, the word has become synonymous with art. People often describe art that evokes emotion as cathartic. Music, theater, fiction, and film can all have 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 art 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, fiction, and theater can be incredibly moving. But the medium of film has particular qualities that can effectively elicit an emotional response in an audience.

The first quality is a film’s ability to condense time. Through editing, a movie can show us weeks, months, or even years in just a few seconds. When done effectively, a film can connect audiences with characters within a short period of time.

Once the audience connects with the characters, everything the characters experience becomes more emotional. 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, and then tragedy befalls them.

What’s incredible about this montage is how it elicits 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. We have an innate connection to both. Filmmakers tap into them to heighten our emotions and release them in an incredibly cathartic moment.

Film is also an extraordinarily visual medium. It allows us to see characters experience emotions. Of course, theater is visual as well, but cinema uses the close-up. This enables us to see the details of a character’s feelings, provoking an even stronger emotional response.

In Good Will Hunting, there is a cathartic moment when Will releases his repressed emotions to his friend and psychologist. The film builds emotion by establishing Will’s abusive childhood and its impact on his life. Look at this example of catharsis and the outstanding performance and execution.

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

Of course, for this scene to reach its emotional peak, we need to recognize everything that leads up to it. Remember, the greater the buildup and repression, the greater the release.

The Value of Catharsis

When asked about Marvel films, director Martin Scorsese famously compared them to theme parks, saying, “It isn’t the 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 films can create.

Some movies are pure escapism, allowing audiences to escape reality for at least an hour. These kinds of films have tremendous value. Even so, there is a clear distinction.

Other films, however, offer a more internal experience. As Scorsese notes, cinema can convey emotional and psychological experiences. This is a defining feature of Scorsese’s directorial style. What is the meaning of catharsis? Why is it so important in film? Through catharsis, films can form an intimate connection with audiences.

Cathartic films often linger in our minds. They affect not only how we see the world, but very likely how we see ourselves. The value of catharsis in cinema lies not in the size of the audience, but in how the film stays with viewers long after they’ve seen it.