Analysis of the movie "99 Francs" in the context of capitalism, media imperialism and consumer culture

Capitalism is the organization of producers to sell their goods. The capitalist system influences societies to sell its products, and through its influence, it drives people to consume. Consumption has existed in every era since the beginning of human life. However, while consumption once met basic needs like food and drink, it is now directed towards the needs created by the capitalist system. In this era, people buy products they don't need to keep up with fashion, stay on trend, and avoid obsolescence, which benefits the capitalist system. With globalization and the influence of the media, these trends spread and become popular worldwide, and the concept of mass culture has emerged through media-driven imperialism. Within the framework of all this information, the aim of this study is to examine the film "99 Francs" within the framework of capitalism, media imperialism, and consumer culture, and to conduct a semiotic and discourse analysis of the film. The study attempts to reveal how these concepts are treated and the critiques directed at them within the film. The film tells the story of Octave, a copywriter at one of the world's largest advertising agencies. Octave, who is extremely confident and believes his life will continue this way, experiences two major events that lead to a major turning point in his life. The first is the rejection of his idea at a meeting at the Madone company, and the second is the departure of his girlfriend. Octave, already a drug addict, loses his mind after this process and rebels against the system he has created by sabotaging an advertising campaign for the Madone company. Discourse analysis and semiotic analysis methods are used in the film's analysis. This film was chosen because it lends itself to discourse and semiotic analysis within the context of capitalism, media imperialism, and consumer culture. The discourse analysis reveals that the film frequently touches upon the themes of capitalism, media imperialism, and consumer culture. These concepts are clearly evident in the protagonist's narration and the cohesiveness of the scenes. In the film's semiotic analysis, capitalism and consumer culture are more prominent, and the subject of media imperialism is largely absent from the visuals. This is because media imperialism is narrated through the protagonist's inner voice, but not through the visuals.