Den Glauben an die Welt mit dem Wahnsinn bezahlen

Using the example of ‘I’M A CYBORG, BUT THAT’S OK’ (KR 2006), this volume deals with the occurrence of mentally ill characters in complexly narrated films since the 1990s. It questions the connection between the characteristics of classical and modern cinema, which is often described in this context, and interprets schizophrenic characters as reactions to media changes in the form of ‘digital paranoia’. Although these characters make it clear that film could lose touch with the real world as a result of digital technology, it is precisely their delusional nature that could restore human faith in the world, as Gilles Deleuze thought. Consequently, the films can be seen as both indicators of a crisis between film and the world and between film and audiences, and, paradoxically, as a solution to the problem. The author’s historical and philosophical considerations with regard to film thus lead to a new perspective on post-classical cinema.