Representations of social crisis in recent Argentine cinema
This thesis engages with representations of social crisis in Argentine
fictional cinema during 1998-2005, a period when Argentina experienced a deep
economic crisis that brought about significant changes in politics, culture, society
and the arts. My emphasis is upon the ways in which cinema interpreted both
present and long-established dialogues with national and social discourse, while
re-assessing notions of national identity, culture and social class.
The study contributes to a growing body of scholarship on Argentine film
which has no precedent in history. In particular, works published in English over
the last five years have offered fresh reflections upon a field that has remained
dominated by narrative and aesthetic, rather than analytical, approaches
By combining close textual analysis of films to the study of their cultural
context my research argues that cinema addressed predominantly middle-class
Argentine audiences with critical questions concerning the transformations they
were experiencing over those years of crisis. As works of fiction, the films also
offered ordinary people the possibility to identify with their own lives and values,
stimulating critical reflection and emotional engagement, as well as enjoyment
and laughter.
The modes through which these films addressed Argentine audiences are
themselves as rich and complex as their narrative representations of crisis.
Amongst the most compelling achievements of recent Argentine cinema are the
diversity of its modes of address, its strong themes, interesting styles and
captivating narrative strategies. These films offered domestic audiences both
reflective and divergent views on social reality that, without any doubt, enriched
the cultural arena in which Argentineans could reflect on their past, their daily
life, their values and their relationship with social minorities. In this sense cinema
helped Argentine people to learn to live in democracy.