Skopophilia, one of the various pleasures inherent in the cinema experience, refers to the enjoyment derived from looking. Freud, in his work "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality," defines skopophilia as one of the component instincts of sexuality. Skopophilia involves seeing others as objects, subjecting them to a controlling and curious gaze. Freud particularly highlights children's voyeuristic activities and desires to see what is forbidden. This instinct can evolve into an obsession with specific objects as one grows older, or it may lead towards art and aesthetics.

In cinema, the audience's curious gaze contains a skopophilic instinct. Viewers experience both the pleasure and discomfort of both looking and being looked at through the characters in the film.

The skopophilic instinct is rooted in the erotic pleasure of looking at another person as an object. Actions focused on visual stimuli, such as looking at nude photographs or watching pornography, are actions where the eye is an erogenous zone. At the extreme end, there may be a tendency to objectify oneself or others, as seen in obsessive voyeurs and exhibitionists.

Both actions have their own attractiveness and repulsiveness. Our interests and pleasures encompass the complexity of these two actions. Sometimes looking provides a sense of control and power, while at other times being looked at fulfills the desire for understanding, approval, and validation. These actions are also associated with a sense of shame because they carry the influence of others' and society's gaze.

Additionally, psychoanalyst Kohut proposed that when there is a failure in tactile and oral satisfaction in narcissistic development, there is an excessive investment in the visual field. Thus, the failure in physical contact is attempted to be compensated for through the visual sense. This situation can be observed in the film "The Best Offer," where the main character has made an excessive investment in looking while he experiences discomfort with touch. As we watch the film, we witness the power the character gains through looking.

How do these two opposing yet overlapping instincts manifest in your life?

References

Freud, S. Three essays on the theory of sexuality

Kohut, H. The analysis of the self: a systematic approach to the psychoanalytic treatment of narcissistic personality disorders