Extreme violence in contemporary European art cinema is generally interpreted for its affective potential, but what about the significance of the everyday that so often frames and forms the majority of these films? Why do the sudden moments of violence that punctuate films like Catherine Breillat's Fat Girl (2001), Gaspar No 's Irreversible (2002) and Markus Schleinzer's Michael (2011) seem so reliant on everyday routines and...