Simulacrum as reality in Scandinavian author's cinema: a comparative study

Objective. The article reveals an actual problem of simulacrum as the expressiveness of a specific means in cinema. The article presents the results of an empirical comparative study on the example of the author's Scandinavian cinema. The purpose of the study was to identify the specifics and essence of the concept of «simulacrum» in relation to the modern author's Scandinavian cinema, which is an original object of research. Methodology. The research methodology is based on a systematic approach and includes the methods of the general scientific group (analysis, synthesis, generalization, systematization), as well as a number of special methods: historiographical analysis of scientific literature on the topic of research; cinematographic critical analysis; methods of statistical analysis. Results. Other researchers' work supports the expert survey result: most modern Norwegian directors create a simulacrum of reality using structure, arrangement, and environment. Despite extensive discussions on the simulacrum's essence and functions, its specific use in Scandinavian cinema remains underexplored, presenting opportunities for further study. Conclusions. The simulacrum as a reality is becoming a new means of cinematic expression and is especially strongly integrated in the auteur cinema of the direction of socio-psychological realism in Denmark and Sweden, while in Norway the simulacrum as a reality is used mainly in the cinematography of the author's psychological noir.