Emmanuel Levinass ethical philosophy has had a significant influence on film theory in recent years. Proposing a relationship between Levinasian ethics and film style, and bringing it into a productive dialogue with theories of performativity, this book explores this influence through three directorial bodies of work: those of the Dardenne Brothers, Barbet Schroeder and Paul Schrader.
Discussing a range of films including the Dardennes Le Fils and The Kid with a Bike, Schroeders Maîtresse and Reversal of Fortune and Schraders American Gigolo and The Comfort of Strangers Edward Lamberti demonstrates how film styles can perform a Levinasian ethics.