It’s difficult to define postmodernism because it’s a movement with multiple meanings depending on the field or area to which it’s applied. Postmodernism is defined as the rejection of definitive explanations of reality and the assertion that reality is a construction based on each individual’s personal understanding.
It’s useful to think of postmodernism in terms of premodernism and modernism, which came before it. In a nutshell, premodernism is a tradition-dominated culture. Modernism rejects tradition in favor of using reason to comprehend reality. Modernist ideas that one reality applies to all people are rejected by postmodernism, which argues that each individual must interpret reality in their own way.
Postmodernism is a term used to describe the evolution of communications and technology in the arts, literature, and philosophy. In countries like the United States, where postmodern film frequently references films from earlier periods of film history, postmodernism is a large part of pop culture. In film, postmodernism manifests itself in a variety of ways, including a shift in the protagonists’ mental states, an homage or pastiche of an earlier style of film, and a sense of hyper-reality.
The term “postmodernism” was coined by philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard in 1979 and is a product of the late twentieth century. In general, it is used to explain the progression of ideas in the arts and literature from the late-19th century ideas established by mass communication techniques to the late-20th century and beyond ideas. Researchers frequently refer to individual films that contain examples of postmodernism when attempting to explain postmodern film.
Pastiche is a common example of postmodern film cited by academic researchers. This feature of postmodern technique makes use of well-known pop culture references, which are frequently made in a comic style by the filmmakers. The Austin Powers series of films, which pay homage to spy movies and culture of the 1960s, is an example of a Hollywood pastiche.
Another feature of the postmodern film that explains the transformation of human nature into a machine-like detached personality is the sterility and loneliness of modern and future life. The film Taxi Driver, which depicts the descent into insanity of a lonely taxi driver in a big city, is an example of the advance of technology over human feelings, and it is known as the flattening of affect. Another example of postmodernism is altered states, which depicts a character’s personality changing as a result of the use of hallucinogenic drugs.
In postmodern film, there is often a playful approach to history. Many films, including Twelve Monkeys and Donnie Darko, attempt to answer the question of what would have happened if history had turned out differently. The use of technology to negatively impact human life is frequently depicted in postmodern films, which are referred to as hyper-reality examples. Hyper-reality cases attempt to demonstrate that the world can be a better place when reality isn’t what we think it is. The Truman Show, for example, is about a man who discovers that his life has been taped for a reality TV show and that his friends and neighbors are paid extras.