Ubiquitous Absence

The present article provides an analysis of the narrative and technical devices through which contemporary war films frame audience engagement with characters. It compiles and systematizes a wide set of empirical findings and exemplifies these through brief, illustrative readings of a selection of films. Combining Smith’s approach to film reception with insights from Laclau and Mouffe’s theory of discourse, the article argues for the significance of the identified audio-visual rhetoric for political discourse and practice.