The Gaze Film: Unpacking Barry Jenkins' Revolutionary Short And The Mysterious 2025 Release
The concept of "The Gaze" in cinema is a powerful, multifaceted term that has inspired several significant film projects, but two stand out as the most relevant and impactful in recent memory: the profound 2021 non-narrative short by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins, and the highly-anticipated 2025 feature debut from Chilean director Diego Céspedes. As of December 2025, the conversation around the cinematic gaze is more vibrant than ever, driven by these two works that challenge the audience's role in viewing history, trauma, and marginalized identities. This deep dive will explore the revolutionary nature of Jenkins' piece and provide the latest updates on the 2025 film, offering a comprehensive look at how this loaded title is shaping modern cinema.
The term itself—the cinematic gaze—refers to the way the audience, the camera, and the characters interact, often used to critique the historical "male gaze" that objectifies women. Both major films titled *The Gaze* or a variation thereof subvert this traditional framework, forcing viewers to confront their own biases and the power dynamics inherent in looking. By analyzing the production, themes, and reception of these projects, we can understand why this title is a flashpoint for contemporary film discourse.
The Core of the Gaze: Barry Jenkins' Revolutionary 2021 Short Film
Barry Jenkins' *The Gaze* (2021) is not a traditional narrative film but a 52-minute moving-image portrait, serving as a powerful companion piece to his critically acclaimed Amazon Prime series, *The Underground Railroad*. It is a work of profound artistic and historical significance, designed to shift the focus from the main characters of the series to the often-unseen background actors who embodied the brutal reality of enslaved people.
The film was initially released on social media and later featured as the centerpiece of an exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI), cementing its status as an essential piece of modern cinematic art. The deliberate pacing and extended running time compel the viewer into a state of uncomfortable contemplation, reflecting on the history of Black trauma and the ethics of its portrayal on screen.
Complete Production & Featured Ensemble Profile
- Title: The Gaze
- Year of Release: 2021
- Running Time: 52 minutes
- Genre: Non-Narrative, Experimental, Companion Piece
- Director: Barry Jenkins (known for *Moonlight* and *If Beale Street Could Talk*)
- Composer: Nicholas Britell (frequent Jenkins collaborator, known for *Succession* and *Moonlight*)
- Inspiration: The work of artist Kerry James Marshall, particularly his portraits that focus on Black subjects
- Context: A companion piece to the Amazon series *The Underground Railroad*
- Featured Ensemble Cast (Actors from *The Underground Railroad*): Thuso Mbedu, Aaron Pierre, Chase W. Dillon, Joel Edgerton, Mychal-Bella Bowman, Frank Oakley III, Lucius Baston, Irone Singleton, Zsané Jhé, and many others who portrayed background roles.
- Cinematography: Utilized the same production design and costume elements from the main series, drawing attention to the meticulous detail in creating the emotional tone.
Deconstructing the Gaze: Themes of Trauma, Visibility, and the Audience
Jenkins' *The Gaze* is a masterclass in challenging the audience's passive consumption of historical suffering. By presenting the actors in static, moving portraits, often staring directly into the lens, the film flips the traditional dynamic of the viewer observing the viewed.
The Power of the Direct Stare
In traditional cinema, characters rarely look directly at the camera, as it breaks the fourth wall and pulls the viewer out of the narrative. Jenkins weaponizes this technique. The subjects of *The Gaze* stare back, unblinking and unyielding, effectively turning the camera into a mirror for the audience. This direct confrontation forces the viewer to acknowledge their own positionality—the power they hold as the observer—and to reflect on the historical and cinematic context of Black visibility and suffering.
The film’s non-narrative structure is key to its impact. Without a plot to follow, the audience cannot rely on the comforting distance of a fictional story. Instead, they are left alone with the faces of those who represent the millions of enslaved individuals, transforming the act of watching into an act of witness. The contemplative pace, underscored by Nicholas Britell’s evocative score, prevents the viewer from looking away, demanding that the history embodied by these figures be truly seen and reckoned with.
The Influence of Kerry James Marshall
Jenkins explicitly drew inspiration from the work of painter Kerry James Marshall, whose art often features Black figures occupying the center of the frame, demanding attention and defying historical erasure. Marshall’s philosophy is about placing Black subjects firmly within the canon of Western art, and Jenkins applies this to the cinematic medium. *The Gaze* is an extension of this artistic mission, ensuring that the background figures—the foundation of the historical narrative—are given their own dedicated, powerful space in the cinematic landscape.
This approach moves beyond the concept of the "male gaze" and engages with the more complex idea of the "white gaze" or the "historical gaze"—how history and media have traditionally framed, minimized, or sensationalized Black bodies and Black trauma for a dominant, often white, audience. By stripping away the narrative, Jenkins offers a silent, powerful indictment of that history.
The Future of the Gaze: 2025's Mysterious Flamingo and Other Interpretations
The term "The Gaze" continues to inspire new cinematic works that explore identity and power, with the most current and anticipated project being *The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo* (2025). This feature film, directed by Diego Céspedes, represents the newest, freshest take on the concept, focusing on themes of queer identity and internalized homophobia.
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (2025)
Set in a reimagined desert town in 1980s Chile, *The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo* is the feature-length debut for director Diego Céspedes. The film blends elements of melodrama and the Western genre with a contemporary queer twist. Its plot centers on 11-year-old Lidia and the fear that motivates the community’s actions—the fear of truly seeing one another.
The film, which has been selected for major international festivals in 2025 (including a Cannes screening), uses the concept of the gaze to explore the devastating consequences of internalized homophobia and societal judgment. Instead of the historical trauma of slavery, Céspedes examines the social trauma of being a queer or trans individual in a hostile environment, where the act of being seen can be a source of danger and fear.
The production details for this current film are:
- Title: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
- Year of Release: 2025 (Festival circuit)
- Director/Screenwriter: Diego Céspedes
- Cast: Matías Catalán, Paula Dinamarca, Tamara Cortes, Claudia Cabezas, Luis Dubó
- Themes: Queer Identity, Internalized Homophobia, Social Trauma, The Fear of Visibility
The Broader Gaze Landscape
The sheer number of projects using "Gaze" in their title, including the 2024 documentary *Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell's Swimsuit Issue* and the annual 2025 GAZE International LGBTQIA Film Festival in Dublin (running from July 29th to August 4th, 2025), underscores the term's ongoing cultural relevance. These works, whether a documentary on the female gaze in fashion or a festival celebrating queer cinema, all contribute to a collective, evolving discussion about who holds the power behind the camera and what it truly means to be seen.
From Barry Jenkins’ powerful, contemplative portraits of historical trauma to Diego Céspedes’ fresh, urgent examination of queer visibility, the "gaze film" genre is defined by its commitment to challenging the status quo. These films are not just meant to be watched; they are meant to be experienced, analyzed, and grappled with, ensuring that the vital conversation about representation and power in cinema remains at the forefront of the art form.
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