Magdalena Skrzyńska Liminality on Screen(s): Exploring Thresholds in Cinema and Streaming Media

About this book

Liminality on Screen(s): Exploring Thresholds in Film and Streaming Media investigates how the anthropological concept of liminality has evolved into a central aesthetic and structural principle of contemporary visual culture. Drawing on thinkers from Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner to Bjørn Thomassen and Jon McKenzie, the book traces the progression of being “betwixt and between,” beginning with ritual theory and culminating with the media of cinema, television, and streaming.

The book’s central claim – namely that liminality operates not only as a thematic element but also as a structuring principle of modern media – is supported by analyses of film logos, opening sequences, color, and streaming interfaces. By introducing and exploring emerging phenomena such as stinge-watching - a newly identified viewing practice that challenges the dominance of binge-watching – the book expands current discussions of audience engagement and temporal experience. The discussed case studies of selected films and series demonstrate how visual thresholds mediate transitions from ordinary time to narrative time, situating anticipation and suspension as defining features of contemporary viewing practices.

Ultimately, Liminality on Screen(s) argues that liminality – once confined to ritual and performance – has evolved into a key operational and aesthetic logic of contemporary media culture. By merging anthropological insight with film and media analysis, the book offers an innovative framework for understanding how thresholds shape both narrative experience and digital engagement. Blending film theory, media anthropology, and cultural analysis, it provides a fresh perspective on how modern screens produce, manipulate, and aestheticize the spaces “in-between” – those transitional zones where viewers, stories, and technologies converge.