선물(膳物)의 덫에 갇힌 여성: 라스 폰 트리에의 <브레이킹 더 웨이브>를 중심으로

Abstract

Von Trier who had evolved a dissection of masculinity through “Europa Trilogy” approached the issue of feminity in “Goldheart Trilogy.” The transition seems to be an attempt to find certain exit by overcoming the ethical dead end of modern male subject. Von Trier searches for the exit in the theme of woman as a sacrifice or as a pure gift in “Goldheart Trilogy.” In particular, Breaking the Waves is a representative film that unravels such a theme. The protagonist in the film sells her body as a prostitute, is subject to physical violence and finally loses her life for her husband. Such a radical sacrifice can be compared to a pure gift which transgresses the logic of exchange. However, representing woman as a gift contains fundamental problems. It camouflages the phallic economy that has been established primarily by exchanging woman as a commodity. Furthermore, it overlooks the system of value that returns any negative and transgressive action into the system of exchange, into the economy. The female protagonist in Breaking the Waves turns out to be a victim caught in the notion of a pure gift. If Von Trier's film can be an analysis and criticism of patriarchal order, then that can be possible only by unveiling the illusion and violence of such a gift.