Surface Without Depth: Postmodern Anxieties in David Fincher’s The Killer (2023)

Abstract

The research analyses David Fincher‘s The Killer (2023) by applying the theoretical lens of Fredrich Jamesons‘s Postmodernism, particularly his concepts of wanning of affect, the zombification of subject, historical amnesia, and proliferation of simulacra. This study examines the film protagonist as a postmodern subject and how he displays emotional detachment, surface level identity performance, and historical numbness. It critiques the world of systematized structures, economies of consumer symbols, where identity is replaced by performance. The protagonist is neither a fully developed person but instead an empty form functioning in an abstract manner, using scripted behaviours within a simulated identity, an example of Jameson's postmodern subject. In short, the study shows how Fincher‘s film not only draws on imagery and motifs of violence and alienation, but it also stylizes a representation of current affective and ideological conditions. These themes not only characterize Fincher‘s cinematic world but also resonate with broader societal patterns where individuals, overwhelmed by hyper-consumption and digital mediation, experience identity crises, emotional disconnection, and a loss of historical awareness. The study suggests that embracing minimalist cultural values may offer pathways toward rebuilding meaningful human connections and countering the affective alienation of postmodern life.