La naissance de l’autofiction silencieuse dans le cinéma d’Elia Suleiman : Hommage par assassinat (1992)

Abstract

This article questions the link between the aesthetics of silence shaped by Suleiman and his quest for identity. Through the analysis of the second short film by this Palestinian director, Homage by Assassination (1992) we will underline this aesthetic and its stakes. In this film, Elia Suleiman incarnates ES, the silent character who appears for the first time on screen; he will be present in his three subsequent feature films. The story takes place one night during the Gulf War in a New York apartment where ES investigates the notion of identity. We will introduce the notion of silent auto-fiction before analysing how the offbeat and subversive aesthetic that combines silence and humour establishes a critical distance that allows us to both deconstruct imposed identity patterns and opens up a space for reflection around the construction of national identity. Suleiman diverts his status as an invisible voiceless person and questions the alternatives and discourses necessary for an appropriation of his identity.