CAUTIVA

Argentina, 2003, 120 minutes, Colour.
Barbara Lombardo, Susana Campos, Hugo Arana, Mercedes Funes, Sylvia Bayle.
Directed by Gaston Biraben.

When does a nation say about its troubled past that it is time to move on to a more positive future? Can it ever say that?

Argentina has experienced a very troubled past since the 1970s: the military dictatorship of the 1970s and the disappearance of over 30,000 citizens who are still commemorated every week by the group joining the mourning mothers in the Plaza Mayo in Buenos Aires; the Malvinas war when Britain defended the Falkland Islands; the amnesty given to those found guilty of crimes during the dictatorship. Films on these themes continue to be made, especially for a younger generation who wants to know and understand the past.

Many films have been made on these themes. British playwright, Christopher Hampton, made Imagining Argentina with Antonio Banderas and Emma Thompson, bringing the issues to a world audience. However, its blend of realism and ‘magic realism’ in a highly emotive and melodramatic style did not find critical or popular favour.

Gaston Biraben researched case studies for his film studies thesis in Los Angeles. Cautiva is the impressive result.

Biraben has avoided the melodramatic possibilities, showing very little of the 1970s. His message is the more effective for tending towards the reticent and allowing the characters and their dilemmas to move the audience.

The opening, however, is emotional: Argentina winning the World Cup in 1978. After the goals we see the awards with the personnel of the military junta and Henry Kissinger representing the US which had back the dictators morally and financially. When the action immediately moves to 1994 and a 15th birthday party, we realise that we are going to be looking at children born in those dangerous times.

The centre of the action is the 15 year old Christina (played with persuasively soulful presence by student, Barbara Lombardo). Political themes are indicated in classroom scenes but suddenly Cristina is involved in a puzzle that is quite shattering. Are her loving parents her real parents or is she the daughter of two of the ‘disappeared’? What is the truth for her? Who is she? This is the drama of the film where the audience shares in her uncertainty as well as her pain. Are good and loving people as good as they seem? Are severe authorities the good people? Beriban has almost underwritten some of the sequences, not giving us answers that we were hoping for or expecting, making us ask questions about what each of the characters is thinking and feeling.

Many of the central characters are women: schoolgirls and friends, the adoptive mother, the grandmother and her younger daughter, the psychologist, teachers, nuns at school. Beriban shows a great empathy for his women characters. Women in the audience will identify strongly with these characters and men can learn a great deal about women’s feelings and responses. This is no mean feat for a director coming from a rather macho culture.

Cautiva indicates that a troubled past cannot be let alone or ignored. There are always consequences that will need attention and resolving.

1. The title of the film, the tone, references to Christina, the range of children who were the children of 'the Disappeared’? The whole experience of war, the comments about the dictatorship of the generals and it being a war?

2. Audience knowledge of Argentinian history, the dictatorship, the Disappeared, imprisonment and torture? Whether the search for the children of the Disappeared should be continued? The impact for Argentinians, younger, older? For world audiences? For American audiences – with the presence of Henry Kissinger and the moral and financial support of the regime?

3. The point of view: the war, the amnesty for the politicians, the importance of justice, the role of the law, protection of the oppressed? The past and the anti-communist stances? The younger Argentinians wanting the truth?

4. The Disappeared, the children, their identity, the mothers of the Plaza Mayo? The demonstrations week by week?

5. The opening, Argentina and the World Cup, the excitement, international acclaim, the presence of the generals, of Henry Kissinger, the mood – and the ironies of what was happening in Argentinian society? The recapitulation of the World Cup match, later, the nurse’s memories?

6. Christina at fifteen, the party, dancing with her father, the slides of her life, her looking back on her life, the cake, the celebration in an affluent family?

7. Christina at school, quiet, her friendship with Susana, listening to Angelica and her criticisms of the law and the amnesty, the teacher’s hostile reaction, her being sent to the principal? The political issues? Christina and Susana in the toilet smoking, Susana’s right-wing attitudes – “Everybody knows”? Despising Angelica?

8. Christina at home, her room, her asking her mother about a caesarean birth or not? Going down to the party, her relationship with her godfather? Her moods, studies?

9. Her being told to go to the principal, her bewilderment, going to the judge, the presence of the police and the psychologist? The secrecy? The revelation of the information about her parents, her reaction, shock, tears? Elisa coming in? Meeting her grandmother? Her running away, her shrewdness in eluding capture, the train, the phone to her mother, weeping? The discussions with her parents, the reactions of her parents? The police cars and her being caught again?

10. Going to Elisa’s house, the character of Elisa, the long search for her granddaughter? The house, the tour, the information about her mother, the photos, her mother’s room? Whether to believe Elisa and the judge or not? Her sadness, being told not to tell anyone? Her going on the picnic with her cousins and her aunt, asking questions of her aunt, her aunt being unable to talk about the events? The joy, the welcome to the family?

11. Her visits to her parents, talking with them, the mother expressing her love, the father and his possessiveness? Keeping the secret? The early morning visit, confronting them with the truth, their story, the details, its effect?

12. The netball game, the meeting with Angelica? Discussions, sharing, Angelica’s background, her own family and experience, getting the information, the research, the library? The secret meeting, the nurse? The information about her background? The bonding with Angelica?

13. The visit to the nurse, the visualising of the flashbacks, the nurse and the dangers, the pregnant mother, the torture, the blindfold, her giving birth, their wanting her to suckle the child so that it would be healthy for adoption? Her disappearance – but the message scratched on the wall, the name of Sofia Lombardi? Christina showing the photo, the identification of the Glow-worm as a torturer?

14. The confrontation with her parent’s, her father’s anger and slapping her, her mother saying they did not know the details? The change of birth date, the lies, the protection?

15. Her return to Elisa, the reconciliation with her grandmother, going to the room, on the balcony and the final view of Christina now Sofia at home?

16. The portrait of the women, strong and sympathetic portraits, the perceptions of women, feelings? The story of adolescent girls and the emotional struggles? The grandparent generation and what they went through, the parent generation, persecution, police authorities and power?

17. The emotional effect of a more low-key presentation of the dictatorship and its consequences? Political issues? Human rights?

18. The final information about the number of children reconciled with their original families?