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Andres Rabadan |
The Two Lives of Andres Rabadan The sublimation of drives in psychoanalytic theory The Two Lives of Andres Rabadan is more than just a thrilling movie: It is also a fascinating psychological study. This film portrays, in dramatic form, the psychoanalytic concept of the “sublimation of drives.” According to psychoanalytic theory, the relationship between father and child is crucial to the formation of a human being’s personality. When that relationship becomes twisted, the damage to a child’s psyche can be irreversible. Patricide, one of the most horrible acts a person can carry out (which, according to the Oedipus Complex is often paired with the desire to sleep with our own mothers), can often be the result of an abusive parent/child relationship. Andres Rabadán’s story began under these terrible circumstances, but even with his tragic life, many people wonder just how a man can be driven so far. Despite the stereotypes associated with murderers, Andres Rabadan is no brute. He is, instead, a highly intelligent, sensitive individual. In the film, we see him dealing with doctors who are far more vicious than he, an unexpected and dramatic contrast with society’s expectations. Rabadan, desperate for an escape from the dark impulses in his diseased mind, discovers that his salvation may lie in the act of creation. Artistic expression works as a way to sublimate and pacify his darker drives, and may even serve as a form of redemption. This thrilling true story shows a madman transform into one of Spain’s greatest artists. |
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But what does one murderer’s redemption teach us? According to psychoanalytic theory, Sublimation is the means by which we deal with all of our impulses. Our basic nature, experts say, is not one of noble ideals, but low, animalistic drives that compel us to act in selfish and destructive ways. All of our civilized virtues; nobility, purity, duty, are nothing more than a trick of our minds designed to channel these impulses into constructive action. Who among us has not felt angry or hostile? The only reason we do not act on these urges is because we have healthy outlets in the form of work, family, or personal ambition. For those unfortunate souls without such outlets, like Andres Rabadan, the result of these urges can be violence, madness, or even murder. The only way to cure this condition is to find an outlet – work is man’s only salvation from his bestial nature. We’ve all complained about how miserable our jobs are, but it can be chilling to imagine where we would be without them! Art, as the supreme form of human labor, allows the deepest impulses to come out into the light and express themselves. It gives the darkness within us a safe place to exhaust itself. That is why Rabadan’s work is so compelling: it is imbued with the same passion that, left unchecked, led to the murder of his own father. |
Andres Rabadan´s art |
