Teresa Macrì's Book Explores Artistic References in Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria

Teresa Macrì's book "Pensiero discordante" analyzes the artistic references in Luca Guadagnino's 2018 film "Suspiria." The film is described as an alchemical artifice that breaks cinematic genres, blending them into a visual studies object. It draws from Thomas de Quincey's 1845 "Suspiria De Profundis" and Dario Argento's 1977 film, but is not a remake; rather, it reinvents language. Set against the political backdrop of 1977 West Germany, the film intertwines the RAF terrorism (the kidnapping of Hanns-Martin Schleyer) and the disappearance of a dancer from the Markos Tanz Company. Guadagnino incorporates performance art from the 1970s, referencing artists such as Gina Pane, Ana Mendieta, Marina Abramović, Valie Export, Carolee Schneemann, and Francesca Woodman. The film uses these references to highlight feminist radicalism and gender identity struggles. The book was published by Postmedia Books in 2018, 62 pages, €9.90.