A Reflection: Iracema
A Reflection: Iracema
There is an undeniable sadness and telling truth about this film. It speaks of the lives of many women and girls who are exploited and demoralized on a daily basis in Brazil. What stands different about Iracema as a film, is the attention and humanization given to the women, specifically the female protagonist. Unlike many of the other female characters we've seen thus far this semester, Iracema, exists as a human being within a larger framework (the displacement and exploitation of the Amazon's people and land for the construction of the Trans-Amazonic highway), instead of simply a fictional figure that exists only within the framework of a male counterpart (husband, lover, or parent).
What is triumphant about Iracema as a whole is its recognition of the true physical and psychological conditions of women and girls in the Amazon region in 1975. Their relentless struggle to survive emotionally and physically is placed on a platform for all to see, which in turn forces others to recognize and respond to the rape, destruction, and diminishing spirit of the mothers, daughters, and sisters of Brazil.
As I prepare for my presentation tomorrow, I realize my goal in exploring the images of women in Brazilian cinema, is not to argue the intentions of filmmakers in their depiction of women within their films, but rather the effects of these images. Specifically how the images of women in Brazilian cinema of the 1950s 60s and 70s has shaped the construction and treatment of Brazilian women in film today.
There is an undeniable sadness and telling truth about this film. It speaks of the lives of many women and girls who are exploited and demoralized on a daily basis in Brazil. What stands different about Iracema as a film, is the attention and humanization given to the women, specifically the female protagonist. Unlike many of the other female characters we've seen thus far this semester, Iracema, exists as a human being within a larger framework (the displacement and exploitation of the Amazon's people and land for the construction of the Trans-Amazonic highway), instead of simply a fictional figure that exists only within the framework of a male counterpart (husband, lover, or parent).
What is triumphant about Iracema as a whole is its recognition of the true physical and psychological conditions of women and girls in the Amazon region in 1975. Their relentless struggle to survive emotionally and physically is placed on a platform for all to see, which in turn forces others to recognize and respond to the rape, destruction, and diminishing spirit of the mothers, daughters, and sisters of Brazil.
As I prepare for my presentation tomorrow, I realize my goal in exploring the images of women in Brazilian cinema, is not to argue the intentions of filmmakers in their depiction of women within their films, but rather the effects of these images. Specifically how the images of women in Brazilian cinema of the 1950s 60s and 70s has shaped the construction and treatment of Brazilian women in film today.
posted by Logan at 7:40 AM
2 Comments:
I think Logan hits it on the money with her review of women in Brazilian cinema. I think the reason that I've had a hard time getting into these films as a whole is because they are missing any real female element. Logan and I discussed this after class one time and its troubling and hard to figure out what to say when your finished watching the film and even further difficult when your in a class comprised mostly of males and none of them really see how the women are portrayed as troubling. This is not an attack of the men in class its just an observation. The time this especially stood out for me was when we watched macunaema (sp?) and no one at the time really seemed bothered by the rape that takes place in the film or that women were pretty much just objects of lust. It was just chalked up to being ok because the film was so crazy and silly. If that film is supposed to represent all the people of brazil what was it saying about women at that time?
Anyway getting back to Logan's post, I think she's right that this is the first time that we see a true representation of a brazilian woman (or women). I still need to see the rest of the film as I imagine it only got better as it progressed.
Iracema does give us a rare look into the usually hidden face behind poverty and prostitution. I will be interested to see your presentation today Logan.
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