Affective Moments in the Films of Martel, Carri, and Puenzo

This book studies the intimate tensions between affect and emotions as terrains of sociopolitical significance in the cinema of Lucrecia Martel, Albertina Carri, and Lucía Puenzo. Such tensions, Selimović argues, result in “affective moments” that relate to the films’ core arguments. They also signal these filmmakers’ novel insights on complex manifestations of memory, desire, and violence. The chapters explore how the presence of pronounced—but reticent—affect complicates emotional bonding in the everydayness depicted in these films. By bringing out moments of affect in these filmmakers’ diegetic worlds, this book traces the ways in which subtle foci on gender, class, race, and sexuality correlate in these Argentine women’s films. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 Chapter 1: Introduction 10 Cinematic Foremothers in Argentina 13 Engaging Affect with Gendered Intimacies 18 An Affective Trilogy: Martel, Carri, and Puenzo 25 Bibliography 37 Chapter 2: Minors and Homebound Violence 41 Retributive Affects in Albertina Carri’s La rabia (2008) 41 The Politics of Face: Seeing Voices of Terror 43 Spaces in Mutation: Social Frailty and Interconnectedness 50 Inenarrable Episodes: Claustrophobia, Abandonment, or Autonomy? 53 Affective Otherness in Lucrecia Martel’s La ciénaga (2001) 57 Isabel’s Mobility: Hushed Eyes, Itinerant Presence 60 The Compositeness of Motherhood 66 Lucía Puenzo’s El niño pez (2009): Fluid Intimacies, Affective Dwelling 69 The Traces of Film Noir 72 Displaced Adolescence: Incarcerated Bodies, Mobilized Selfhoods? 82 Bibliography 96 Chapter 3: Remediations and Affect 101 The Hypermediacy Appeal in Albertina Carri’s Los rubios (2003) 101 Remedial Interpositions and Glimpses of Intellectual Personhood 104 Reengaging Los rubios through Affective Dissent 112 Muted Gestures, Screaming Affects: Lucrecia Martel’s La mujer sin cabeza (2008) 117 On a Fragile Inter-Being: Accidental Voices or Voiced Hierarchies? 119 A Cinematic Narration of the Dead: Remediating the Ethos of State Terror 125 Resisting Cinematic “Cultures of Rescue” 132 Ghostly Pasts and Contested Silence in Lucía Puenzo’s Wakolda: El médico alemán (2013) 134 The Screaming Silence 136 Aesthetic Returns 148 Bibliography 169 Chapter 4: Bold Boredoms, Libidinous Affects 175 Compulsory Boredom and Cerulean Desires in Lucía Puenzo’s XXY (2007) 175 Against Ontological Redundancy: Despondency and the Beach 178 Landscapes of Shifting Moods and Desires 184 Albertina Carri’s Géminis (2005): Leisurely Boredom, Incestuous Discontent 190 Screening Incest, Echoing Social Stagnation 192 Toward Boredom and Its Aftershocks: Revisiting Affects of Ennui? 197 Interpersonal Distrust, Divine Hopes 202 Lucrecia Martel’s La niña santa (2004): On Waiting, Monotony, and Agentic Kinesthesis 205 The Affect of Touch 210 Public Intimacy and Disaffection: Boredom as Sustenance? 215 Bibliography 226 Chapter 5: Conclusion 231 Bibliography 234 Appendix: Filmographies 235 Albertina Carri (b. 1973) 235 Lucía Puenzo (b. 1976) 236 Lucrecia Martel (b. 1966) 237 Bibliography 238 Index 264 This book studies the intimate tensions between affect and emotions as terrains of sociopolitical significance in the cinema of Lucrecia Martel, Albertina Carri, and Lucia Puenzo. Such tensions, Selimovic argues, result in "affective moments" that relate to the films' core arguments. They also signal these filmmakers' novel insights on complex manifestations of memory, desire, and violence. The chapters explore how the presence of pronounced-but reticent-affect complicates emotional bonding in the everydayness depicted in these films. By bringing out moments of affect in these filmmakers' diegetic worlds, this book traces the ways in which subtle foci on gender, class, race, and sexuality correlate in these Argentine women's films Annotation Studies the intimate tensions between affect and emotions as terrains of sociopolitical significance in the cinema of Lucrecia Martel, Albertina Carri, and Lucía Puenzo. Such tensions, Selimovic argues, result in 'affective moments' that relate to the films' core arguments. They also signal these filmmakers' novel insights on complex manifestations of memory, desire, and violence. The chapters explore how the presence of pronounced - but reticent - affect complicates emotional bonding in the everydayness depicted in these films Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction (Inela Selimović)....Pages 1-31 Minors and Homebound Violence (Inela Selimović)....Pages 33-92 Remediations and Affect (Inela Selimović)....Pages 93-166 Bold Boredoms, Libidinous Affects (Inela Selimović)....Pages 167-222 Conclusion (Inela Selimović)....Pages 223-226 Back Matter ....Pages 227-263 Inela Selimović. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 231-256), Filmographies (pages 227-229), And Index.