Cinematic Projections provides a stimulating and balanced introduction to the world of post-Jungian film studies. It redresses the dominance of Freudian theories of cinema, and guides its readers through the intricacies of Jungian thought. In so doing, it provides the basis on which to construct a contemporary theory of cinema. Drawing on research into detective films and myths of detection, the author weaves together psychological analysis with textual interpretation. The resulting hypothesis sees cinema as a medium that offers collective pleasures, and which meets collective psychological needs. At the same time, the theory suggests that going to watch films is an intensely personal experience in which viewers, according to individual needs and desires, project and identify with films and their characters.