Watch The Pervert's Guide to Ideology

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology is a 2012 documentary film directed by Sophie Fiennes and featuring Slavoj Žižek, a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic. The film is a follow-up to their earlier work, The Pervert's Guide to Cinema. In The Pervert's Guide to Ideology, Žižek explores the ways in which ideology is embedded in the popular culture we consume on a daily basis, from Hollywood blockbusters to commercials to music videos. He argues that these cultural artifacts serve to reinforce dominant ideologies and perpetuate social inequality, and he uses examples from a wide range of films and other media to illustrate his point.

The film is structured as a series of extended monologues in which Žižek expounds on various aspects of ideology and popular culture. These monologues are intercut with scenes from films and other media that illustrate his points, as well as with footage of Žižek himself wandering through various locations (including a sewage treatment plant and a gun range) and engaging in surreal, absurdist conversations with various people.

Throughout the film, Žižek presents a complex, nuanced view of ideology and its role in contemporary society. He argues that ideology is not simply a set of beliefs or values that individuals hold, but rather a system of social practices and power relations that shape our understanding of the world around us. He also highlights the ways in which ideology can be subversive and resistant, and argues that we need to work towards developing new forms of resistance and critique that are capable of challenging dominant ideologies and promoting social change.

Overall, The Pervert's Guide to Ideology is a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating film that will appeal to anyone interested in philosophy, cultural studies, and the ways in which popular culture intersects with politics and power. Through his trademark mix of humor, insight, and incisive analysis, Žižek challenges us to think more deeply about the cultural artifacts we consume and the ideologies they embody, and encourages us to work towards building a more just and equitable society.

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology is a 2013 documentary with a runtime of 2 hours and 16 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.6 and a MetaScore of 71.