Steakhouse by Špela Čadež : intimate partner (psychological) abuse through tangible imagery and the act of resistance

Krajnc, Maja (avtor)

This article examines Špela Čadež’s Steakhouse, a ten-minute animated short, as a formally inventive and politically resonant depiction of psychological abuse in intimate relationships. The film provides a nuanced and impactful portrayal of the cyclical nature of psychological abuse, exposing emotional entrapment through richly textured visual and auditory design. Employing analogue multiplane collage animation and haptic visuality, Steakhouse creates a tactile, immersive experience that evokes emotional suffocation, particularly through the key sequence of smoke. Drawing on Alain Bergala’s conception of cinema as art, it argues that the film’s aesthetic strategies function as a mode of authorship and critical engagement. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, it further incorporates Laura U. Marks’ concept of haptic visuality and Sara Ahmed’s notion of “everyday resistance” to explore how subtle gestures become feminist acts of refusal. Although not explicitly framed as a feminist work, Steakhouse critiques patriarchal dynamics embedded in domestic space and labour. Parallels with Agnés Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7 underscore the role of spatial embodiment in the articulation of female subjectivity. Produced during the pandemic, Steakhouse foregrounds animation’s power to render invisible forms of violence perceptible and to provoke critical reflection through sensory engagement.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: Špela Čadež, Steakhouse, psychological abuse, multiplane collage animation, haptic visuality, female subjectivity, Cléo from 5 to 7
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: AGRFT - Akademija za gledališče, radio, film in televizijo
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: Str. 54–71
• Številčenje: Vol. 23, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180878
• UDK: 791.6
• ISSN pri članku: 2040-0594
• DOI: 10.1080/17411548.2025.2494923
• COBISS.SI-ID: 240039683
• Datum objave v RUL: 18.03.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Studies in European cinema
• Založnik: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 2040-0594
• COBISS.SI-ID: 525968921

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: Špela Čadež, Steakhouse, psihična zloraba, multiplanska kolažna animacijska tehnika, haptična vizualnost, ženska subjektivnost