marienbadism means A style of film that has an enigmatic narrative structure coupled with a dreamlike uncertainty over what is real and what is imagined. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
Why “marienbadism” is a great word
MARIENBADISM — [Noun] A cinematic style defined by an enigmatic, non-linear narrative and a dreamlike ambiguity that erodes the boundary between reality and memory. From the title of the French New Wave film 'L'Année dernière à Marienbad' (Last Year at Marienbad) + the suffix -ism, denoting a distinctive style or doctrine. Unlike surrealism, which unleashes the unconscious through shocking juxtapositions, or a linear narrative, which relies on straightforward chronology, Marienbadism is a meticulous grammar of ontological doubt. It is the disorienting repetition of a conversation in an endless, mirrored corridor; the uncertain memory of a meeting that may never have occurred; and the oppressive, geometric elegance of a chateau that feels both real and utterly fabricated. The style formalizes the haunting suspicion that a story's coherence is a polite agreement, not a fact.
Etymology
From Marienbad + -ism, from the French New Wave film L'Année dernière à Marienbad (Last year at Marienbad).
noun
- A style of film that has an enigmatic narrative structure coupled with a dreamlike uncertainty over what is real and what is imagined.“Nathan A. Scott, Jr., deals more directly with contemporary McLuhanism and Marienbadism.”