OTTO’S INNER CONFLICTSIN A MAN CALLED OTTOMOVIE: A PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACH

Abstract

The film A Man Called Otto (2022) by Marc Forstertells aboutthe life of a man who is lonelysince the death of his wife, showing the inner struggle within him that makes him traumatised and changes his character. This study aims to explore how the film presents self-trauma verbally and non-verbally. The analysis focuses on two aspects: (1) How Otto's behaviour is post-traumatic. (2) Otto's verbal and non-verbal responses due to inner conflict. This study uses qualitative analysis researchmethod with the approachofDefenceMechanism theory(Anna Freud) andNon-VerbalCommunicationtheory (Paul Ekman).It has data in the form of selectedscenes from the film A Man Called Otto (2022),including dialogues, character expressions, gestures, and emotional reactions that reflect Otto’spsychological condition.Thesedata areanalyzedto identifyverbal and non-verbal expressions oftraumaand inner conflict, as well as the defence mechanisms employed by the character. The study finds thatOtto’s transformation is reflected not only through his words, but also through subtle body languagecues such as posture, facial expressions, and tone of voice, which align with Ekman's theory. Throughthese findings, the research illustrates how psychological struggles can be expressed cinematically andhow emotional healing can occur through human connection and self-awareness.