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The Metamodern Cinema of Taika Waititi
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Description
In this book, Kevin Corbett demonstrates the prominent role of metamodern cinematic elements in Taika Waititi's creative works, tracing their emergence over the course of his decades-long career in film and television.
Analyzing a range of Waititi's films and television shows including Jojo Rabbit (2019), Reservation Dogs, and What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Corbett highlights how the writer-director embraces the concept of oscillation that lies at the heart of metamodernism's cultural logic by striking an intentional balance between elements that generate insincerity and disengagement and those that invite audiences to sincerely connect with the characters and story. This variation in tone within individual films and programs, he contends, is reflective of a broader cultural shift in the 21st century as we move beyond the limits of postmodernism.
Table of Contents
1. The Emergence of Metamodernism
2. The Evolution of Metamodernism
3. Free Cheese and My Interesting World: The Metamodernism of Eagle vs Shark and Boy
4. Bloody Fun: What We Do in the Shadows (the film and the TV show)
5. Like Best friends and That Really is Enough, I'm Getting Uncomfortable: Hunt for the Wilderpeople
6. A Tale of Two Thors
7. I Don't Want to Grow Up: The Metamodernism of Jojo Rabbit
8. Waititi's “Small Screen” Marginal Metamodernism: Reservation Dogs
9. Waititi's “Small Screen” Metamodernism: Our Flag Means Death as Fully Metamodern
Conclusion: “Next Goal...?”
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Product details
| Published | Feb 05 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 240 |
| ISBN | 9781666955750 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
| Series | Studies in Metamodernism: Theory and Criticism across the Disciplines |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Kevin Corbett has written a truly original and exceptionally insightful study of the oeuvre of one of the most prolific and popular filmmakers of our time, attentive at once to the unique qualities of the individual films and series and to the socio-cultural context within which they should be understood and appreciated. This is an important contribution to both the field of film studies and the debate on metamodernism.
Timotheus Vermeulen, Professor of Media, Culture and Society, University of Oslo, Norway

























