Abbiamo ancora bisogno dei cattivi (?). Genesi del Villain e ‘pedagogia del reale’ nell’immaginario cinematografico contemporaneo

Abstract

This paper adopts a narrative-ethics lens to show how storytelling shapes moral identity. It foregrounds empathy—and ‘negative empathy’—as mechanisms that align us with or distance us from characters. Focusing on contemporary villains with traumatic backstories, it argues that audiences empathize with suffering yet reject immoral acts; thus villains function as ethical simulators for practicing judgment and responsibility.