Abstract

Lars von Trier's film the boss of it all unfolds the mutual constitutional relations between man and medium and re-inserts itself in these relations. As one might expect, the anthropoid features, such as reflexivity and autopoiesis, are attributed to the personality of the author and its metonymic figures, while the instrumental, allopoietic medial functions, in contrast, are attributed to the genre of comedy. This attribution, however, fails. Rather, both types of functions interfere with each other, so that they can enter into a relationship of transfer; now, the medium appears to be reflexive, while man appears as an instrument and effect. By maintaining their respective functions, however, man and medium constantly produce each other.