Something similar seems to happen in The Swamp, but the relationships between the mood established in the film and the social reality of Argentina as presented, for example, by Solanas in Memoria del saqueo/Social Genocide, or by the historical background presented by Falicov, seem a bit more clear: The opening scene, where we are exposed to the tired, stumbling, old bodies of the drunken characters lounging by a pool that doesn’t work, under the foreboding natural surroundings –overcast skies, thunder, oppressive heat-- can easily be read as a reflection on the moral and social degradation and stagnation of the Argentine middle class, of which the two main families in the film are members. This, together with the different plot lines, seems to be begging for a reading that goes beyond the obscure, literal meaning of the plot, and suggests a socio-political/ allegorical reading, although it also works as a psychological portrait of the middle class. However, there is enough ambiguity in the film to prevent a straightforward political or social commentary.
The sense of alienation, of fear, of apathy, of claustrophobia related by the fragments of stories we get from the characters is also reflected in the framing and camera use; the interiors are dark, old, disheveled, like the lives of the characters themselves. Their lives are fragmented, broken or breaking, but we are barely given enough information to understand the origin of this dysfunction. One critic said this ambiguity produced a “lack of literal meaning” in the film that prevaents us from establishing any DIRECT relationship between the filmic and the “real.” This, we mentioned, might well be due to the director´s desire to force a more individualized reading of the work, or to invite a more complex exercise of interpretation by closely trying to follow any apparent hint of meaning The stories (and this is emphasized by both the dialogue and the truncated narrative(s) also the fragmented, almost elliptical montage, that leaves everything unresolved) are shrouded in a constant sense of foreboding and imminent danger that is never resolved –perhaps until the end, when the child falls, but does he? We are always left disoriented, wondering what is going to be significant to the plot and what isn’t ; our anxiety is never quelled by resolution. If we feel this way as an audience, how would the characters feel? In your blog today, again, point at an element of the movie --a character, an event, a line, an element of the plot or the imagery that you found hinted at a symbolic or allegorical interpretation of the film.
La Cienaga is a dark and dank film directed by Lucrecia Martel and released in 2001. Choppy at best the film leaves you wondering what the whole purpose of it was. However, if you look deeply at the symbolism that inundates the film you are able to glimpse the meaning.
ReplyDeleteThe opening scene shows drunk adults lying flaccid in lounge chairs about a stagnant pool. When the mother, Mecha, stands up to bring wine glasses into the house she slips and is badly cut by the broken wine glasses. The adults surrounding her don’t even look in her direction and hardly notice even when her children run over to take her to the hospital.
As the film progresses it is hard to keep track of all of the characters. One of the family’s teenage daughters, Momi, has a weird relationship with the maid Isabel. She is constantly hanging all over Isabel perhaps because she isn’t shown love anywhere else in her family and she can somewhat control Isabel. The mother, Mecha, constantly refers to the maids, as well as all of the indigenous in Northern Argentina where this film takes place, as Indians and treats them openly with disrespect. Her children seem to have been taught this as well because even her young sons who go hunting on the mountain run across indigenous children and accuses them of bestiality.
La Cienaga translates to “The Swamp”, which is very fitting because this film is filled with water. Heat, sweat, pools, rivers….the entire movie is drenched as if in the beginning stages of rot. Because it was produced in an era of recovery in Argentina, perhaps the all-around saturated atmosphere symbolizes Martel’s feelings about where her country is in its recovery process, but whatever the meaning one thing is for sure, the family in this movie seems like they are simply decaying, lying in the rot their lives have become without any ambition to make a change.
What really stood out to me about the film La cienaga (The Swam 2001) was how the vibe of the film was almost terrifying or ominous. Every angle, sound, event would add to this feeling of uneasiness. From the very beginning of the film the way in which the people by the pool were walking and how the camera was angled to show how they were walking was like these people were zombies. The way the director made them drag the chairs from one area to another instead of carrying them so the nose they made was almost nails on a chalk board creepy was very interesting. This made the beginning of the movie feel like you were about to watch a horror film and then at the end Momi did the exact same thing when she wen to go talk to Vero after she tried to see the virgin. Bringing you right back to the feeling of something horrible was about to happen. Which would have been more satisfying if this scene was before the boy fell of the ladder but it was after, causing the audience to think what bad thing was going to happen next. The ironic part to this feeling of horror was that in no means was this film terrifying. It was not the most pleasant of films to watch do to the sad tone of it all but nothing ever horrifying happened.
ReplyDeleteNot only were the sounds and angles of the camera making this film feel very ominous but also the fact that it was always raining. The rain made it to were the mother Mecha and her sister Tali could not go on their trip causing sadness but for no reason at all used in the script the rain added an eerie element to the film. The setting was supposed to be at a summer house and everyone enjoying the sun but instead it was the opposite, even when the girls were laying it, the weather never seemed to be that warm. The film was very gloomy. This could have been used as an allegory for the way the politics had been going in Argentina at this time and he years previously. Argentina had moved to a democracy but there were still many issues that needed to be overcome at this time. To me it felt like the movie was an example of how people were just going through the motions of life, that is not as good as it could be but choose to just continue on this uneventful sad life instead of making a change for the future to be brighter.
The Swamp draws on a dysfunctional family to represent larger problems in Argentine society. The movie opens with a scene of middle aged, seemingly middle class adults lounging in the sun, drinking wine, and moving chairs very loudly, to accompany the seemingly intentional clanking of wine bottles and glasses. When Mecha falls, no one lifts a finger. This may be because they are all drunk, but she is very badly hurt, losing a lot of blood. This showcases the Argentine middle class’s disregard of the working class’s struggles. It is not until Mecha’s children come out to help her up, where we see how bad her fall really was, that anyone cares to get up. Even when the adults acknowledge her bad state, they are all too drunk to drive.
ReplyDeleteMecha is not exempt from disregard from others. If this entire family (and Argentine society) is toxic, she (the citizens turning a blind eye to their fellow countrymen being oppressed and violated) is the cause of it. In many Latino families, the matriarch is the center of love, attention, and keeping the entire family functioning and cohesive. We can see that Mecha, a drunk along with her husband, has abandoned all of her maternal duties. When there is no love to keep the family together, we see Momi, her fifteen-year-old daughter, reaching out to their maid, Isabel, for some sort of affection, and in return, being rejected and ignored. A scene early on in the movie supports this same theme. Jose, a son who has moved to Buenos Aires, lives with his girlfriend, Mercedes, who is also his father’s former mistress. She is cold and distant, and at one point asks Jose to sleep in the other room, a sentiment that is repeated by Mecha to Gregorio later on.
Today we watched a two films directed by Lucrecia Martel. The first one titled “La Cienaga” (The Swamp, 2001) was quite a bit longer (103 min.) than the second one “Rey muerto” (Dead King, 1995) which was approximately 12 minutes. Martel’s uses The New Argentine Cinema style that is also used in the previous two films (“Pizza, Beer, Smokes” and “Crane World”). Compatible with this style, many of the situations are open for interpretation as the scenes jump around without an explanation. In addition, the characters are not overly happy or sad which makes them more relatable and realistic.
ReplyDeleteIn “The Swamp” there is complete dysfunction that somehow seems conventional. Martel states that, “there is a lack of philosophy, lack of goals, and lack of ideology in the middle class. It is as if some new vision is missing, some trust in the possibility of changing the world through your own will” (Falicov 124). The characters did not seem to be going anywhere nor have hope in anything. Even the scene where Momi goes to see the Virgin Mary, she comes back without seeing anything. Mecha gave no indication that she should quit drinking even after her potentially fatal fall by the pool. Tali’s son-in-law was afraid of the African rat, that was most likely just a dog, yet he found the courage to find out for himself which caused a tragic fall.
Again, all hope is lost.
The drama in this film comes from the sound. There are distinct, clear sounds at times like when the glasses and ice are clinking and when the water balloons are busted against the window pane. Other wide-ranging sounds come from the thunder, rain and ground vibrations that could be an earthquake. There are moments of the films that seem to be overly loud for emphasis like when Mecha slams her glass down repeatedly during dinner, the television blaring in the background, the gunshots firing from the children in the forest, and the telephone was infuriating everyone by ringing insistently. The sound in this film was like an additional invisible character that played one of the main roles.
There was quite a bit of action in “Dead King” and it was able to tell, in my opinion, a complete story in a short amount of time. I felt a sense of justice for abused women when I watched it. This could have been a political message as well. People (certain members of society) will only take being treated badly for so long before they retaliate.
Unlike “The Swamp,” this film had a hero and a villain. This story was more strait forward and intense. In the end when Sandra Ceballos blinded Roly Serrano, I had a visceral reaction even though it seemed like fiction. In comparison, this movie seemed more commercialized than “The Swamp,” but it was still artistic and powerful.
Although La cienaga was very slow and dry, it was a film that was very interesting to observe and try to interpret the symbols within it. This film is the first film we have seen in class that does not deal with Buenos Aires nor la pampa. Instead, it dealt with a city in the north: Salta. In this city, there is a family from Buenos Aires spending the summer there. Race issues are very prevalent in this movie (the natives being seen as lower than the criollos), for example, one of the brother’s in the family throws the fish he caught on the ground saying that “This is mud and the natives are the ones who eat shit.” This new style of film is not so enjoyable to watch, but it is really great because it allows its audience plenty of room for interpretation.
ReplyDeleteAs for interpretation, I would like to touch basis on what I believe the significance of the water in this movie represented. From the beginning until the end, the characters did not get anywhere or make any kind of progress. Everyone went back to their normal lives at the end of the movie besides Isabel (one of the native maids who quit at the end). Although Isabel did end up in a different position, her mentality did not change, nor did the mentality of anyone else in the film. For example, the mother who was always drunk still thought that she was lower than her simply because she was a native. Throughout the movie, water is always there. Normally, water is the significance of life, and abundance; however, in this film it was quite the contrary. Water changes, but it is always there. No matter how much builds up when there is a storm, it recedes…similar to the lives of the characters in this film. They may be in situations in which arguments arise, stress builds, etc. but in the end, they are still there for each other, and their tempers recede because they are family. I say this because they always ended up taking naps together or sitting next to each on a bed or in a chair.
It is always raining, or cloudy in this movie, and I think that that is representative of the fact that no one in this movie was able to feel pure emotions. No one was ever able fully embrace the emotion of happiness because they knew that living in Salta was just temporary and they’d have to go back to their natural way of living once the vacation was over. Finally, I want to point out that the different types of water could have represented the different types of races or even the different types of emotions everyone was feeling at the time.
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ReplyDeleteThe film La ciénaga directed by Lucrecia Martel (2001).The opening scene is ominous and foreboding. A group of older people waste away poolside, their flaccid muscles drooping unhealthily. Wine is poured ruby red, the color of blood and glasses and ice cubes clank in a way that is unsettling to me. The film opened like a horror story and I wondered what type of monsters would be uncovered.
ReplyDeleteThe sounds of the impending storm can be heard. The pools water looks like a swamp. The weather must be crippling hot because everyone is so lethargic. When the mother falls down drunk not one person reacts or gets up. She is cut and bleeding badly. The children run rampant while the adults drink all day in the sweltering heat. The teenagers run around with shotguns. The scene in the dam when the children are playing in the water trying to kill a fish they start going wild chopping with the machetes. In this moment my body is completely tense with anxiety because of the sense of impending doom. Martel directs these moments with genuine terror as knives threaten to fly from the hands of these children and into the torsos of their playmates. I felt at any moment a child was going to get its hand cut off.
The scene that I felt was most symbolic was the repeating scene of the cow in the bog. The director kept coming back to it and it was still the same every time. The cow was alive, barely struggling and beginning to slowly rot. I think this is symbolic of the characters in the story. They are stuck. Not dead but not able to live or pull themselves out of the situation that they are in. It was sad really. The children watched the cow helplessly. Even if they wanted to help they were too scared or didn’t know how they could help. I saw this with Mecha and Tali after Mecha's accident the two are in her room planning their trip to Bolivia. Mecha offers her something cold and Tali declines because I don’t think she want to encourage Mecha to drink because of her alcoholism, but then she quickly changes her mind. It seemed like in a quick moment she realized it was hot and she needed a drink. She still maintains control and good example by saying to the servant “pequeno” and holding her fingers out for a quarter inch pour.
Everything about this country manor and it people was over indulgent and lazy. The people reminded me of dogs when subjected to extreme heat, lying around everywhere panting as the flies swirl around their limp bodies.
All that being said this was my favorite film so far because of the shocking and fascinating view at this family dynamic. The camera angles and the way it was shot at waist level drew my attention and the use of sound and off camera voice over was unique and stimulating.
The Swamp (Lucrecia Martel, 2001) takes place in northern Argentina and the main characters are all members of a very dysfunctional family. The level of dysfunction becomes apparent in the first scene when Mecha falls down drunk and ends up having to go the hospital. It is sticky and hot and there is a definite “sluggishness” that applies to all characters and the setting. A theme that struck me keeps reappearing throughout the movie, and that is the theme of children and teenagers forced into adulthood. This theme is presented immediately in the first scene when Mecha gets hurt and Momi (only 15 years old) is forced to take her to the hospital because the rest of the adults are too drunk to do so. Later, we see Luci (the youngest of the children) cleaning his own wound in the sink. His sisters can’t be more than 12 years old and are wearing a lot of makeup. Mecha discusses illicit affairs of other family members in the presence of the children. All of these examples illustrate the obvious loss of innocence that occurs in a family as dysfunctional as this one. The slow and constantly obliterated adults may be representative of the complacency that has overcome Argentine society at this time, and the children represent the generation walking into the mess. They must clean up after the adults and fill their shoes, robbing them of their childhood. A clear victim of this loss is Momi. Her mother is verbally abusive towards her and she seems to take this out on Isabel. A classmate mentioned that perhaps Isabel is hateful towards Isabel because she is the only one that is below her due to Isabel’s indigenous roots. I think this is spot on. There is enormous racial tension between the workers of the house and those that live inside. Mecha is particularly hateful and cuts down Isabel whenever she can. It is interesting to see it projected onto her children, particularly Momi.
ReplyDeleteThere are little to no role models provided for the children in this movie. The father figures are inactive and unhelpful. Jose is the oldest of the bunch and manages to escape the toxicity and is one of the few people in the movie that brings light and happiness to the scenes. The Swamp is emotionally evocative and has been my favorite film so far. There is no definitive resolution towards the end of the movie, though Luci falling from the ladder can be indicative of the fall of society and the inability or disinterest from members of that society to change it. We again return to the notion of complacency.
New Argentine Cinema was characterized by a new generation of filmmakers that reverted to a neorealist approach in film production. In contrast to films like La Historia Oficial that overtly led the viewer to a deeper, political understanding, Lucrecia Martel’s La Ciénaga had an ambiguous approach to inspiring meaning. The viewer is cast into the unstructured lives of a dysfunctional family residing in Northern Argentina. The mood, an element of style that has symbolic significance, is established in the opening sequence.
ReplyDeleteThe mood arouses the emotions of a viewer, an idea that reveals the calculated nature of Martel’s direction. La Ciénaga is heavily influenced by the abrasive sounds and unsettling atmosphere. The dark, swampy, disheveled scene that introduces the movie sets a somber mood. The lethargic characters are slow to react, mostly at the hands of their drunken state. Loud, echoing gun shots in the distance increase the tension. This seemingly foreboding, apathetic mood repeats throughout the film. Sounds like a consistently raucous phone ring, grating chairs, and knives and forks hitting dinner plates contribute to a notion of unfulfilled suspense. The mood is also influenced by our lack of familiarity with the characters. The viewer is directly introduced to the family without context. This approach did not engage the audience but rather creates distance between their lackadaisical world and reality. Films such as Caballos Salvajes give the viewer a personal connection with the characters as we decipher the good versus bad dichotomy, pushing us to create an emotional investment. Martel constructed the mood to serve a purpose. The foreboding sounds and images were nothing more than futile. In her note about the film, Martel addresses the “constant unease” that results from the unending threats of disaster. She ultimately revealed the struggle of life and purpose as they fight to survive in the mire of a toxic environment.
ReplyDeleteThroughout The Swamp there are numerous allegoric scenes that present a social or political allegory. One allegory that stuck out to me was the allegory presented through the multiple scenes in the movie observing the cow stuck in the mud. These scenes could hint at two allegories. The first is a social allegory. The cow being stuck in the mud could be symbolic of the middle class being “stuck in the mud”. The middle class in Argentina were figuratively “stuck in the mud” meaning they were stuck in a monotonous lifestyle without much meaning and were unable to free themselves from this cycle and were unhappy with this lot in life. This monotony of middle class life is evident throughout the film especially through the storyline of Mecha. The film starts out with Mecha and others lying lethargic around a dirty pool in the hot sun. Then shortly after Mecha falls and cuts herself on glass and then spends all day in bed recovering watching television and sipping wine and complaining all the while. This portrays the uneventful, monotonous lifestyle of the middle class. Moreover, her complaining then and throughout the movie suggests the middle class’s displeasure with their lot in life, being “stuck in the mud”. When the cow is stuck in the mud the boys find it and rather than helping it immediately they just keep coming back. Eventually they try to shoot it but they do not kill it so in the end they never really help it. This could be an allegory for the ambivalence of the middle class during the military dictatorship towards the atrocities of the military. Particularly those atrocities committed towards the poor. Rather than standing up and doing something about the atrocities many middle and upper class Argentine citizens just chose to ignore them and live in ambivalence. The boys ignore the cow at first even though they could have easily tried to help it and possibly pull it out. Then when they do try to help it and shoot it it seems like it is more for their entertainment rather than to help. This is made more obvious when we find out they left it after they had shot it but not killed it. The boys are an allegory for the middle class as a whole and the cow represents the poor and the mud represents the military junta. Just like the middle class could have helped the poor, the boys could have helped the cow but they chose not to because it was easier. The idea of the ambivalence of the middle and upper class has been present in many films; however, in The Swamp this idea is portrayed in a subtler manner than in other films we have watched like The Official Story. Overall, The Swamp is full of several political and social allegories which make a somewhat uneventful plot more meaningful and applicable to both national and international audiences.
Michelle Fisher
ReplyDelete"La Cienaga" was produced in 2001 by Lucrecia Martel. In this film there are quite a few references to the sound and vision of water. In most films water is an archetype of rebirth or renewal; however, in this film this is not the case. In this film I notice water to be an archetype of chaos. The film also enforces the racial tension in the area of Argentina. This is all achieved through methods not previously viewed in the other films.
In the opening scene the first sounds you hear are the clinking of ice in a glass and the pouring of wine. Immediately following this Mecha falls by the pool, cutting open her chest and bleeding profusely. While at the hospital it starts to rain and the electricity runs out, forcing "the gringo" to use lanterns in order to treat the patients. The girls playing outside are attacked by a truck full of boys with water balloons and come inside to Tali crying about how everything is now ruined. There is also a scene were water is flooding the pavilion garden area, where later the young boy falls off the ladder and is left injured and possibly dead. Wherever water is present in this film, chaos soon prevails.
The film is also full of racial tensions between Mecha and Isabel. Mecha constantly calls Isabel a dirty savage or a party girl. She is always saying that Indians are dirty and unreliable. Mecha blames Isabel for the missing towels and sheets but later learns that Momi, her daughter, was the one who had them. This tension portrayed by Mecha is also transferred to her children. When the kids go out with Isabel and Perro to go fishing with machetes, Joaquin throws their catch to the ground claiming that it is all mud and Indians will eat anything. Isabel then picks the fish up and it is later assumed that she cooks it for the family to eat.
I also noticed that this film was produced in a different way from that of previous films shown such as " Pizza, Birra Faso". In "La Cienaga" there is no music used to invoke emotions from the audience. The movie is also very fragmented, preventing the audience from connecting with any one character. This is radically different from the previous film "Pizza, Birra, Faso". The previous film utilizes music and a consistent story to allow emotional connection between the characters and audience, a way of expressing Neorealism. "La Cienaga" does not utilize the mechanisms of Neorealism but rather sticks to the nature and natural aspects of filmmaking in the hopes of presenting a reality. There is also no happy ending like there was in previous films. Isabel is forced to leave for her sisters leaving Momi behind, the little boy falls off the ladder, and Mecha is left without help.
As a mayor shift for the blockbusters that we viewed earlier this week and at the end of last week, La cienaga is the film that solidifies the change in the film industry of Argentina towards the New Argentine Cinema. As Falicov explains in the book, La cienaga was “perhaps the most impressive debut feature yet from the ever-surprising new Argentina.” The film is unconventional in so many ways. The always shifting scenes, constantly cutting from one character to another, reflects the characters themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe symbolism of the water I found to be the most important allegory that could be found. The water brings this subdued tone to the movie. It saturates everything seeping into what seems like crease and seam of the house and family. But it is not a clean water, in the film almost all the water is tainted. It is oppressive and constraining. I believe it reflects not only the economic crisis that is overtaking the country, but also the ugly side of Argentina, the social tensions, racism and classism. It seems to be seeping into Argentine society and saturating everything, leaving society oppressed. Playing off of that symbolism is part of the relationship of Mecha and Isabel. Mecha’s accusation that Isabel and “los indios” are always stealing the towels, maybe symbolic of how Argentine society blames the oppressed for their problems. Could it represent the idea that it is the “indios” are at fault for the social tensions not being resolved? But as Feliu points out, the lack of a direct message and ambiguity, causes the audience to create a highly individualized meaning, and therefore causing them to actively participate in thinking about social relationships.
But also, for me this film causes be to reflect on the drastic contrast of living in a country like the U.S.A. versus one with such historic crisis, not only politically but also economically. For the majority of our nation, besides those who lived through the great depression, we haven’t experience such an extreme economic crisis like though in Argentina.
In “La Cienaga” there is a strong motif of noise. It is a consistency throughout the film, and ranges from music to gunshots. It is oftentimes so overwhelming and boisterous that even the characters dislike it. For example, when the phone rings, Mecha yells and complains about that noise, waiting for Isabel to pick it up. There are also the periodic sounds of gunshots heard from the boys in the forest. Every time there is a loud noise heard, the tone of the film changes from fun and happy to gloomy and tense. Another aspect to point out is that the sounds are almost always accompanied by a critical injury. In the beginning when Mecha drops the wine glasses, she is badly cut and is rushed to the nurse. But, at the end, when Luciano falls off the ladder, there is no noise. Even a lack of noise means something.
ReplyDeleteThis motif of noise that is associated with chaos alludes directly to how Argentina was facing immense chaos in all areas-politically, socially, economically, and the list goes on. The country could not breathe or rest, being so deeply in turmoil that they seemed to be drowning in the symbolic downpour throughout the movie. The international pressures where becoming so loud that they could not obtain peace.
La Ciénaga/The Swamp (2001) is the first feature film Lucrecia Martel produces which takes place in a Northern province of Argentina called Salta near the border of Bolivia. The dirtiness as well as the excessive water used throughout the film made watching The Swamp uncomfortable and confusing. Furthermore, the characters in the film are all minor with slightly more focus on Momy who is 15 years old, daughter of Mecha, sibling of older brother Hosea, Luichi, and the younger sisters. The lack of focus on one character adds to the overwhelming feeling. The weather in general sets an oppressive mood. This could be seen as the atmosphere of the Argentina middle class since the two families in the film are middle class families. There is heat, thunderstorms, rain, and clouds. Water pervades every aspect of the film, giving a sense of drowning and an inability to remain clean. The kid Luichi always gets muddy and dirties the house. The towels and sheets always seem to need cleaning. Mecha constantly demands her indigenous servants to fetch her more ice. A murky pool in the vacation home’s backyard that Momy jumps in and then she is promptly scolded by Isabel to not swim in it because she could get a disease from it. Sweat from the heat of the day is wiped off Momy’s forehead. Hosea, Momy, Momy’s younger middle sister with the curly hair are shown showering often in the film. The kids go to a dam to play, but Isabel who also is with them does not have a swim suit and does not want to go in the water. Eventually her boyfriend pulls her in. The plants are watered. Water balloons are thrown by kids in town. A muddy river traps a cow. There is so much water in the film causes a queasy feeling in those who watch it. This dirty toxic environment reflects Argentina’s filthy history of corruptness still lingering and causing tension in all three generations – the middle aged, the young adult, the teen, the kids, and the toddlers. This suggests the theme of the remains of Argentina’s problems being passed on to the next generation. A weak relationship between the children and the parents give reason for the disconnected and broken family dynamics. Although it is unclear of why and how they got to this point in the first place similar to Argentina wondering how it has gotten stuck and is drowning in its mess it has created, plus never being able to rid itself completely or not for long of the economic, political, social, cultural, racial troubles. The wet and sogginess of the film seems to pull down any happy emotions or fun. The short burst of dancing at a club are ruined when Hosea tries to dance with Isabel and her boyfriend beats him up. The short lived fun of the kids dancing and singing to a favorite song is the only time everyone seems happy. This could also allude to the short vacation away from home and “real life” the characters have. Also, this small scene could mean the short happiness of Argentina and the people trying to prolong this happiness when the time to go back to reality draws nearer.
ReplyDeleteWhat I also found interesting in The Swamp was the fact that Mecha watched the news frequently yet the same news of the Virgin Mary appearing by a water tower was the only story. This could be assumed to be about Argentina’s faith of a miracle to save them from their problems. Falicov mentions that Argentina is known as “a largely Catholic country” which could explain why this news would be broadcasted repeatedly (134). Tali, mom of two young kids starting school, wears a gold cross necklace a symbol of Catholic faith. Also, in one of the interviews a witness of the Virgin Mary appearing by the water tower had heard the apparition speaking to her warning of worse times ahead. An overall melancholy of no change makes this film frustrating and boring perhaps to get Argentina itch to move in the right direction towards progress.
“La Cienaga” was definitely different from the films that we have watched throughout the semester. It was interesting due to the fact that this movie did not have a particular plot rather it was individual events that happen throughout a normal person’s life. Lucrecia Martel made it feel like we were constantly waiting for something to happen. I wouldn’t say that this film was unappealing but it doesn’t however fit in with a “normal” holly-wood like blockbuster. This film is more like a documentary following the life of a pretty well off family in Argentina.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say there were a lot of things that I found interesting from this film. One take-away from the film is that life can sometimes be difficult and it takes difficult decisions to be able to live the life that you want to. One scene that stood out to me when Isabel (Andrea Lopez) decided to pick up her things and leave the country side. She was packing her things in tears. In her heart she doesn’t want to leave home but she also wants to construct a different life for herself. This decision affected one person in particular, Momi. Isabel was Momis sister and Isabel looked up to Momi for everything.
In class we also pointed out that we were looking at the film through Momis eyes. This could be because she is the one that is having to go through still being an innocent child while at the same time going through such a negative environment in the dysfunctional family. The audience is able to see very intimately the life of this family. This makes the film not only, interesting but, allows us to form a conclusion. This conclusion is based on assumptions and different cues that the audience picked up throughout the life of this family.
“La Cienaga” was definitely different from the films that we have watched throughout the semester. It was interesting due to the fact that this movie did not have a particular plot rather it was individual events that happen throughout a normal person’s life. Lucrecia Martel made it feel like we were constantly waiting for something to happen. I wouldn’t say that this film was unappealing but it doesn’t however fit in with a “normal” holly-wood like blockbuster. This film is more like a documentary following the life of a pretty well off family in Argentina.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say there were a lot of things that I found interesting from this film. One take-away from the film is that life can sometimes be difficult and it takes difficult decisions to be able to live the life that you want to. One scene that stood out to me when Isabel (Andrea Lopez) decided to pick up her things and leave the country side. She was packing her things in tears. In her heart she doesn’t want to leave home but she also wants to construct a different life for herself. This decision affected one person in particular, Momi. Isabel was Momis sister and Isabel looked up to Momi for everything.
In class we also pointed out that we were looking at the film through Momis eyes. This could be because she is the one that is having to go through still being an innocent child while at the same time going through such a negative environment in the dysfunctional family. The audience is able to see very intimately the life of this family. This makes the film not only, interesting but, allows us to form a conclusion. This conclusion is based on assumptions and different cues that the audience picked up throughout the life of this family.
The film La Cíénaga showed a different way to expose the crisis in Argentina. For the most part it was challenging to follow the plot because of the countless numbers of unanswered questions the plot discovered. For instance, the relationship between the family and the maid was a bit confusing but the difference between the social classes was apparent due to how they were treated. Isabella not only had to tolerate their family’s drama but also tolerated the dehumanizing comments of her people. Another scene that I found curious was when one of the kids aiming his weapon at his sister, at first he looked through the forest and couldn’t tell who it was so he raised his gun and through his facial expressions it was very clear what he was debating. The kid only saw his sisters back so in this scene was the kid thinking that it was one of the natives and wanted to shoot him/her? Moreover, after he realized it was his sister he put the muzzle down and disregarded what he was considering to do. In addition, the relationship between the families was questionable. Not only did I find it uncomfortable how close the sister was to her brother were I found it disturbing that they were in the same bathroom while the sister was showering, It that sense the brother didn’t have any business there. Furthermore, in the film one aspect I really enjoyed was the sound effect. They really exposed the climates through sound, for instance, the crickets were constantly in the background suggesting the high humidity. Another aspect that helped the audience know that the temperatures were high was the clothes the character wore, half the time the males wore no shirt and the girls wore either bathing suit or skirt. It’s interesting to add these small details to help the audience comprehend the film to different extent.
ReplyDeleteThe film we viewed in class on Wednesday, The Swamp, directed by Lucrecia Martel in 2001 depicted interesting family dynamics. Mecha and Tali are sisters each with their own family. Mecha’s family is dysfunctional, to say the least. The opening scene depicts a group of drunken adults lounging around a very dirty pool. Mecha gets up to pour herself more wine and falls right into the broken glass, cutting her chest. None of the other adults present get up to help her, and instead it is her daughters, Momi and Vero, as well as the maid, Isabel, who jump into action. Mecha is loosing blood and yet her husband, Gregorio, does not seem concerned that his wife is severely injured. In fact, he is shown blow drying his hair, leading the audience to make assumptions that Gregorio is more concerned for his own well fair and how he is seen in public than the well fair of his wife. This is the first indication the audience gets of what kind of marriage Mecha and Gregorio have-one without love or care. They are still together for the children’s sake, but it is obvious to the audience they have remained married to keep up appearances. It is also interesting how emasculated Gregorio is in the film. Mecha forces him to sleep in another room.
ReplyDeleteIt is also clear in the film that Mecha favors her sons over her daughters. I can’t remember a single instance in the film where she talks to Vero, and the only words spoken to Momi are “dirty savage” and “shut up.” Even Jose calls her “dirty Momi.” Gregorio does not support his daughters and does not seem to have a relationship with either. He is not portrayed as a decent husband or father. Joaquin is doted on by Mecha, and is the focus of much of her conversations with Tali. She is worried for his safety and wellbeing. When Jose comes to visit after her accident, he hangs all over her, even cuddles with her in bed, and she doesn’t seem to mind.
Tali’s family is close knit, and very dissimilar from Mecha’s family. Her family is her main focus and priority. This is demonstrated when she takes Luciano to see the dentist for his ingrown tooth, and even thinks ahead when planning to buy school supplies for the upcoming school year. Rafael is deeply contrasted with Gregorio. He is worried for his children’s wellbeing when they visit their cousins, and asks Tali on more than one occasion when she plans to pick them up. He knows how dysfunctional Mecha’s family is and does not want his children exposed to that type of family dynamic. He is seen feeding Luciano and cleaning his daughter’s bloodied leg in the bathroom sink, all the while Tali is preoccupied with finding papers to drive across the border to Bolivia. It is obvious that Tali’s relationship with her sister is also toxic. Tali is concerned only with shopping in Bolivia with Mecha and seems to forgot that she has motherly duties to perform. Mecha is a distraction for Tali. In the mean time Rafael buys the school supplies wholesale, because he doesn’t want Tali to go to Bolivia with Mecha. He is looking out for the welfare of his children and wife in this instance.
In the film La Cienega, Director Lucrecia Martel took us on a journey examining two families and their dynamics with each other. Even though there is a lack of action, the film still is thrilling to watch. The opening scene showed a house that one of the families used when taking a break from their city life. Besides having the film’s name translate into “The Swamp”, the film is scattered with symbolism. The house itself is called “La Mandragora”, which translated into “The mandrake”. A mandrake is a plant that is very toxic and could be symbolic for the family itself. Throughout the whole film, a soundtrack of rain and jungle noises were present. This, similar to the mandrake, add a tone of toxicity seen in the film. The fact that there were a few instances where it did not rain indicated that the unnerving toxic feel of the film was essential in conveying Martel’s tone.
ReplyDeleteThe film itself, shows the degrading life of a bourgeois family and their struggles to maintain their high status. An instance of this was when one of the adults, Mecha, fell with her wine glass and cut up her chest. When this happened, it symbolized her falls from upper class society. During that time, the other adults are too drunk to notice or are too lazy to help her out. Seeing the dynamic between their unsympathetic faces and Mecha’s turmoil, one realizes that she is an outcast of her friends. To add more symbolism, the pool that they are lounging around is covered with algae and appeared grimy. It is one of the other features in this film that foreshadow the misfortunes later to come. Another symbolism in the film was the cow stuck in the mud. The little children visited the cow frequently, yet didn’t do anything to help it get out of the mud. This, along with the toxic rain present, enforced the notion that the families are figuratively stuck in their ways, as the cow is literally stuck in the mud. This film’s sense of a looming doom is clearly evident as Martel’s cinematography left the viewer with a need to learn more about film’s characters.
La Cienaga (2000) portrays a broken family and each of the family member’s struggle to find themselves and their own identity within their family and within their own society. Fellicov depicts the movie as a “bleak portrait of life for the provincial middle class, and one that is slowly sinking in the swamp of decadence and obsolescence” (124). All the images shown in this movie are never fresh, as you would assume water would be. The water in this movie mirrors the image of the family. For instance, the pool has not been cleaned in years and just sits there gathering dirt and leaves, and turning a sickly, swampy green color. The family deals with many issues, mainly the one of their mother who does nothing but sit in bed and yell at the others. She never appears to be showered and clean, and sits in her bed drinking wine and complaining of the heat. The water is stale, much like the family. No one seems happy yet with maybe the exception of Jose, no one strives to change this.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a portrayal of the difference between the indigenous and those of higher middle class. The mother, Mecha, always blames ‘los indios’ as she refers to them, for her issues and accuses Isabel of stealing towels and her belonging from her. There is the oppression that lower classes endure that the middle classes impose. ‘“The social oppression of belonging to a certain class, the decadence of imposed roles, the known lies and inability of religion to provide guidance are all powerful elements of criticism woven into the narrative”’ (125). There is also a religion aspect to this movie as there is an ongoing mention of the apparition of the Virgin Mary on a water tank. Moni even goes and tries to see the image that they claim is imprinted and she says that she did not see anything. This fact could lead to the representation that the family does not have faith in their parents or themselves to change their lives and to pursue happiness. The sister of Mecha is in charge of a happier household and the comparison between the two compares families from the same class who lead very different lives. This could point to a message that the director strives to convey that no matter what situation one’s find themselves in they can choose happiness and choose to pursue the things in life that will bring them happiness.
La Ciénaga (2001) by Lucrecia Martel, was a very symbolic film that undoubtedly show the political issues going in Argentina within the lives of this very dysfunctional family in their summer home. This summer home’s inhabitants are upper middle class people who symbolize the ideal white Argentina and its people who have been admired and focused on in the big cities like Buenos Aires. Martel places this family in a beautiful, rural part of Argentina called Salta, where in the midst of the heat and rain, the atmosphere around them suffocates them and squeezes out the dirty reality of the collapse of the ideal image of the upper-middle class, and the prevalence of racism and classism that continued to happen during this time in Argentina’s history.
ReplyDeleteThe collapse of the ideal image of the upper-class in represented best by character Mecha, the mother and head of the household, who constantly drinks her red wine and remains in a drunken stupor for most of the film. As head of this upper-middle class home, Mecha, according to Falicov, “… represents the decline of her upper-crust bourgeois family living in a crumbling estate. The swimming pool has not been cleaned in years….the characters lie about their bedrooms clad in bathing suits and trunks in the sweltering heat…” (Falicov 124-125). The family is assumed to have money that allows them to be in this summer estate, but it is falling apart structurally. The water pump in the pool has been broken for a long time and has never been fixed, perhaps due to laziness or lack of money. The rooms in the house are dreary, and there is not air conditioning or fans throughout the home to help cool everyone down. During the time that this film was made, the economy of Argentina collapsed, the middle class lost a large amount of their money and dropped into lower-middle class and poverty. It can be assumed that this family is facing a similar fate that has resulted in their decline in the ideal image of what an upper-middle class family home should look like.
Despite the crumbling of this upper-middle class image, the family still holds on to their privilege in race and class over the indigenous maids who work in their summer home; the only control that they really have in their lives. According to Falicov, “La Ciénaga is effective in exposing a retrograde conservatism and racism that is often assumed and unquestioned within the worldview of upper-crust white families in Argentina”(125). This is seen most clearly though Mecha and her daughter Momi in the film. Mecha constantly refers to her maids in very negative and racist terms, she even accused Isabel of steeling the towels in the house. The maids are not treated well by Mecha, and due to the social expectations of the racism, the maids do not stand up for themselves within the household. Perhaps this is why Momi so easily displays her annoying affection to Isabel and is found regularly in her room touching her and her things, laying on her bed and not giving her any privacy. Despite Momi’s lack of control in her life with her family, she is able to have control in her power of privilege due to her color and class over Isabel. Isabel does not show the same kind of affections to Momi, she even slaps her in frustration in one of the scenes, but immediately apologizes. While Isabel was under the employment of Mecha, she could not stand up for herself, it is only when she musters up the courage to quit that we see Isabel break from the oppression of racism and classism.
La Ciénaga is a film directed by Lucrecia Martel that is multifaceted and multilayered in the themes that it presents throughout the film. The biggest element that stuck out to me was the treatment that the maid receives from the mother Mecha. The mother clear thinks that the maid steals the towels eventually accusing her of being ungrateful for everything that has been provided for her. In discussing the element of social class in Argentina, I observed the inclusion of this social dialogue within the film as a way to represent the oppression that comes upon those who are of a lower class. This struggle is reciprocated when José is partying and decides to gawk at Momi. He ends up getting beaten up by somebody that is portrayed as somebody who lives in the same social class as Momi. There is a clear lack of respect between the two social groups that is a representation of the struggle and oppression that exists in the social classes. I find it interesting that Mecha is constantly referring to Momi as “la india”. Her physicality draws this reference out giving her an identity that is unfamiliar and impersonal. This element also brings an interesting representation when it comes to identity among certain groups within Argentina. Even though a person or a group of people may not have much, they are still dignified when they are known by their name and who they are. The fact that she is constantly referred to as “la india” speaks to the idea of identity and the absence of identity that people are given because of the social classes. I also find it interested that José is the only character that is able to cross these “social barriers” between such classes. He finds himself partying with the people that would be considered to be in a social class lower than him. In this sense, he becomes a very likeable character to the audience. He is also the only character that makes reference to his life in the city of Buenos Aires. He seems to be a character that is more educated than the rest. I wonder if the director is telling her audience a thing or two about the connection between education and social class. This films seems to begin to draw such a link.
ReplyDeleteLa ciénaga(2001), a film directed by Lucrecia Martel, is unique in many respects. First of all, it was directed by a woman. Even more impressive, this film gained much international success. Lastly, this film is considered to be part of the new argentine cinema movement that began in the mid 90’s. The fact that a woman could direct an independent, critically acclaimed and successful film was up until that point unheard of in Argentina. As the audience watches the film, it is clear to see the pieces that make it a success.
ReplyDeleteThe film adheres strongly to the “gritty realism” famous for the new argentine cinema films. Natural sound is allowed to prevail much of the time. The audience hears the whirr of a fan, the noises of the jungle, and above all the oppressive rain that dominates the film. The oppressiveness of the rain is interesting as rain is usually seen as something “cleansing.” As stated by the director, she wanted to give the film an uneasy tone and go against the notion that man is comfortable in nature.
The film seemingly has no story. The audience follows a young girl, Momi, for the majority of the film, but also sees things from the perspectives of other family members living in the house. At one point, Momi’s mother and aunt plan a trip across the border to buy school supplies in Bolivia. The audience follows the conversations held about the cheapness of this endeavor and the risks of two women traveling alone, but ultimately the two do not go. There are many instances like this in the film. Momi could reveal her feelings for the maid, Isabel, but does not. Mecha, the mother, could attempt to develop a better relationship with her husband, but she doesn’t. The activity in the summer home is punctuated by news stories of the “virgin” appearing on a water tower.
At the end of the film, the young girl, Momi, goes to the water tower to try and see the virgin. When asked if she did, Momi replies “no ví nada.” Ultimately, this speaks on the fact that belief and reality are two different things. Sometimes, life continues in the same uneasy way it always has and people just have to live it.
The film tells the story of Mecha Graciela Borges, a middle-aged woman in her 50s who has several teenagers. Her husband Gregorio Martín Adjemián wants to remain looking young, and both of them have to deal with their gloomy Amerindian servants, whom Mecha accuses of theft and laziness. Both Mecha and Gregorio take to drinking to cope with day-to-day living.In order to avoid the hot and humid weather of the city, the family spends their summers in their rural shabby country home that they have named "La Mandragora".Mecha's cousin, Tali Mercedes Morán, lives in the nearby city of La Ciénaga The Swamp, in English and has a brood of small, noisy children and a husband, Rafael Daniel Valenzuela, who loves his family and also hunts.Before long, the crowded domestic situation in both homes strains the families' nerves, exposing repressed family mysteries, and tensions that threaten to erupt into violence.La Cienaga translates to “The Swamp”, which is very fitting because this film is filled with water. Heat, sweat, pools, rivers….the entire movie is drenched as if in the beginning stages of rot. Because it was produced in an era of recovery in Argentina
ReplyDeleteLa Cienaga, a film directed by one of the few prominent women in Latin American film—Lucrecia Martel—is a fascinating film filled with a chaotic family that cannot be washed clean, all highlighted by the chaotic sounds and constant appearance of water enduring throughout the entirety of the film. The movie starts in chaos. What should be a peaceful scene, lounging by a tropical pool, is anything but peaceful. Lawn chairs scrape the patio, dragged back and forth. Wine glasses clink so loud that the thought of even drinking them makes one’s stomach cringe. And the background noise of nature is filled with screaming birds, resounding bullet shots, echoing dog barking, insect screeching, and obnoxiously loud rushing water. Throughout the movie, this background noise of nature is always present. This noise is an added emphasis to the chaos within the family. It is as if the noise represents the noise of the family. There is no peace, there are no loving sounds (ie: Doves cooing, classical music)—thus there is no peace within the family, there is no love. What should be a place of solace and refreshment—nature—is disrupted by pain and fears and problems. Similarly with the picture of a good family—it should be a group of people who love and offer some type of refreshment from the busyness of day-to-day life. But this family is nothing like a good family; they are dysfunctional in every sense of the word. In a more political manner of speaking, it is as if the film is pointing at some problems within the Argentine society. Dysfunctional families and chaos at home (Argentina) is causing major problems. The Argentinians cannot escape the noise of dysfunctionality, they cannot find the peace and refreshment they so need from their country. They are stuck, in laziness and dirtiness (that they cannot wash clean no matter the amounts of water the dump over themselves, as the movie symbolically points to). Perhaps, with a better community and, more specifically, with better functioning family units (full of love, good father figures, and peace) in Argentina, the country can begin to get back on its feet again. It’s a generational problem they are dealing with, and the best way to solve the chaos starts with the family.
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