Raccomandazioni perturbanti: i tag patemici su Netflix e le passioni del nostro tempo

This study explores the theme of the uncanny in contemporary audiovisual production, focusing on the tagging systems used by streaming platforms and their ability to capture audience emotions. After reflecting on the centrality of “pathematic tagging” in constructing algorithmic recommendations, the Freudian concept of the uncanny (Unheimliche) and its resurgence in current media culture is analysed. A state–of–the–art review on the uncanny as a semiotic problem is outlined, interpreting it as a complex dynamic that disorients the reader or viewer through narrative, enunciative, or ideological betrayals. Through the analysis of movies like Leave the World Behind (2023) and The Power of the Dog (2021), the study delves into how the uncanny operates structurally, creating a sense of interpretative disorientation and reflecting contemporary cultural and social uncertainties. Furthermore, it differentiates between “unsettling” and “uncanny” audiovisual content, highlighting the inadequacy of generic labels and proposing the need for more precise classification criteria. Finally, the investigation connects the uncanny to the context of the Anthropocene, emphasizing how contemporary narratives metabolize global tensions into a visual and narrative language capable of expressing the complexity of our time.