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 release of these emotions, also known as catharsis. Catharsis can be an overwhelming emotional experience. Films with cathartic effects 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 does catharsis mean? Let’s define catharsis and look at 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 affects 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 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 characters
• Moving performances

A Brief History of Emotional Catharsis

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle described catharsis as the 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 calling 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 emotions as cathartic. Music, theater, novels, and film can all contain cathartic elements that resonate with the audience’s psychology. Art can trigger emotional catharsis by connecting to the audience’s personal experiences.

Cathartic art often reflects our own experiences. It allows us to connect with the 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, novels, and theater can be incredibly emotional. But film as a medium has specific qualities that can effectively elicit emotional responses from audiences.

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

When audiences form a bond with the characters, everything the characters experience becomes more emotional. The best technique to achieve this is the montage. A montage condenses time and events to create a narrative sequence. The montage in Pixar’s Up connects us with these characters, only for tragedy to befall them.

What’s incredible about this montage is how it elicits so much emotion within 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 both of these emotions. Filmmakers harness them to heighten our feelings and release them in an incredibly cathartic moment.

Film is also an incredibly visual medium. It allows us to see characters experiencing emotions. Theater is of course also visual, but film uses the close-up. This lets us see the details of the characters’ emotions, further provoking our emotional response.

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

Through the cinematic close-up, the audience is able to witness his cathartic moment at close range, creating a cathartic experience for both Will and the viewer.

Of course, for this scene to reach an emotional peak, we need to understand everything that has led up to this moment. Remember: the greater the buildup and repression, the greater the release.

The Value of Catharsis

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 movies are purely escapist, allowing viewers to escape reality for at least an hour or so. These types of films have tremendous value. Even so, there is a clear distinction.

Other films are a more inward experience. As Scorsese said, cinema 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 form an intimate connection with the audience.

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 cinematic catharsis lies not in how many people see the film, but in how the film stays with its audience afterward.