Dehumanization of the Other and its Depiction in "Battle Royale"

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Film Science, grade: 1,3, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, course: Violence in Art, language: English, abstract: Battle Royale, a Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, released in 2000, has received critical acclaim in large part, being praised for its satiric potential and instances of dark humor. Chuck Bowen, in Slant Magazine, however, did not agree with most of his colleagues, concluding his review with: ¿Maybe Battle Royale's ultimate punchline is its inexplicable ability to fool some people into taking it seriously.¿ . This essay, however, does not review the film or pass moral judgment on its characters, but rather goes against the above cited Bowen and take Battle Royale seriously, regarding one of its psychological issues: the dehumanization of the other.