Current Volume 9
A Psychoanalytic Exploration of the Tension Between Actor Identity and Villain Manifestation in the Nollywood Film Brotherhood, by Jade Osiberu
Abstract
This study explores the psychological complexities inherent in the performance of villainous roles within the contemporary Nollywood thriller, Brotherhood (Osiberu, 2022). The primary aim of this research is to investigate how actors navigate the psychic friction between their personal identities and the darker, antagonistic traits of their characters. To achieve this, the study pursues two specific objectives: first, to analyse the psychological mechanisms actors employ to inhabit the persona of the villain, and second, to examine how these performances challenge the boundaries of the actor's own ego and moral framework. Guided by Freudian and Jungian psychoanalytic theories—specifically the concepts of the shadow self and the uncanny—the research adopts a qualitative methodology, utilizing in-depth content analysis of character performances and representative interviews. The findings reveal that the internalization of villainy often forces actors to confront repressed aspects of their own psyche, leading to a profound, sometimes distressing, blurring of the lines between the self and the performer. The study concludes that the mastery of villainous roles in Brotherhood is not merely a technical skill but a deep psychological negotiation that reshapes the actor's identity, suggesting that acting serves as a conduit for exploring the human capacity for darkness.
Keywords
Psychoanalysis, Nollywood, Brotherhood, Actor Identity, Villainy, Shadow Self, Character Manifestation.
Citations
IRE Journals:
Isabella Omutiko Mulama "A Psychoanalytic Exploration of the Tension Between Actor Identity and Villain Manifestation in the Nollywood Film Brotherhood, by Jade Osiberu" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 10 2026 Page 3445-3453 https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I10-1716876
IEEE:
Isabella Omutiko Mulama
"A Psychoanalytic Exploration of the Tension Between Actor Identity and Villain Manifestation in the Nollywood Film Brotherhood, by Jade Osiberu" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(10) https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I10-1716876
About IRE Journals
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