The Symbolic Significance of Deer in Ildiko Enyedi’s On Body and Soul

This paper examines the symbolic significance of deer in Ildiko Enyedi’s 2017 film On Body and Soul. Through a close analysis of the film’s visual and narrative elements, the paper explores how the deer imagery serves as a powerful metaphor for the characters’ emotional journeys and the duality inherent in the human condition. The paper also reflects on the broader implications of animal symbolism in the film, considering the complexities of anthropomorphism and the potential risks of reinforcing reductive human-nature dichotomies. The findings suggest that while the film’s use of deer symbolism effectively conveys the emotional and psychological dimensions of human experience, a more nuanced approach that acknowledges the complexities of the human-nature relationship could lead to a richer and more thought-provoking engagement with these themes.