A Punctum Scene in Shoah

Abstract

Roland Barthes argues that some photos prick the viewer. He calls this punctum. He thinks this is not an effect of the subject-matter, but of some accident in the picture. For instance, a woman’s necklace in an old photograph brings back memories from his own past. The problem with Barthes’ punctum is that it is so personal: who else gets these associations? He does not write about film, though. I do. In films, particularly in documentaries, we sometimes see someone, not an actor, do something that betrays what he is really feeling, irrespective of the things he is talking about. I suggest we call this a punctum scene. In such a scene we experience an element of self-betrayal that pricks us. But such moments of self-betrayal can be seen by everyone capable of empathy. Just watch the film and notice the extraordinary in this person’s movements.