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1. 1 2017-06-10T23:06:52-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69 Attempting to exercise within the cell and discussing what they'll do when they get out Madison Felman-Panagotacos 3 plain 2017-06-10T23:14:29-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69
2. 1 2017-06-10T22:47:26-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69 Pablo and student blindfolded back to back Leticia Trevino 3 plain 2017-06-14T16:33:28-07:00 Leticia Trevino d71cffbca5112765ee9898818790fd5262d5098b
3. 1 2017-06-10T22:59:17-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69 Firing Squad Sounds Madison Felman-Panagotacos 2 plain 2017-06-10T23:00:53-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69
4. 1 2017-06-14T16:31:35-07:00 Leticia Trevino d71cffbca5112765ee9898818790fd5262d5098b Rasguña las piedras Leticia Trevino 2 plain 2017-06-14T16:33:29-07:00 Leticia Trevino d71cffbca5112765ee9898818790fd5262d5098b
5. 1 2017-06-10T23:01:07-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69 Pablo being taken to his individual cell Madison Felman-Panagotacos 2 plain 2017-06-10T23:06:57-07:00 Madison Felman-Panagotacos 798f6eba7d279010fcb70a7aee7d3c6be69dcd69

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• 1 media/Screen Shot 2017-06-10 at 11.33.33 PM.png 2017-05-30T16:05:43-07:00 Dichotomies of Imprisonment 29 plain 2017-06-14T19:31:52-07:00

  A fundamental aspect of incarceration, one which enhances the punitivity of imprisonment, is the dichotomized separation of the prison space from the outside world. The distinction of the environment within the prison space from that which surrounds it creates the sense that the prisoner has been entirely removed from the world of their past, forcing them to learn to navigate unfamiliar territory. In addition to being confined to an enclosed space and having freedoms severely limited, the insecurity and vulnerability a prisoner feels in this entirely new situation, separated from the outside world, augments the torture of incarceration. This is especially pertinent throughout the dictatorships in Spain and Argentina where those who were deemed subversive or threatening to the dictatorial system were detained suddenly and frequently denied due process or any hope of release. In these situations, even the smallest glimpse into the outside world served as an aspirational symbol of eventual release.

  While the prisoners in La voz dormida are confined to cells within a prison complex, they maintain a level of contact with the spaces and people outside of this space. The film opens with a scene in the prison where women are being called individually to be taken to the firing squad after saying tearful goodbyes to their compañeras. Although these women are then taken away to be killed in the courtyard of the prison complex, the women within the collective cell have a window through which they are auditory and visual spectators to this event. Some even go as far as to scream to the soldiers in protest, which provokes them to shoot into the cell through the open window, establishing a more concrete physical connection between the cell and the surrounding space. Not only can they experience what is happening outside of the confines of their imprisonment within the cell through this view into the rest of the prison compound, but they also maintain contact with the more distant space outside of the prison in general. There is a visitation room arranged that, although it keeps prisoners and visitors separated by two sets of bars, allows verbal and visual contact with people who are not imprisoned.  Additionally, these visitors are allowed to bring packages for the prisoners with fresh clothing and mementos from their previous lives. Even though these packages are not supposed to contain contraband, including letters, they are not thoroughly screened by the prison guards, as Tensi is shown receiving letters from her husband, who is fleeing imprisonment for Republican activity.

  Unlike the characters in La voz dormida, those in La noche de los lápices have neither a  window into the outside world nor a physical sense of where they are located. As the students are abducted they are blindfolded in order to prevent them from detecting where the torture centers are located and once they arrive their heads are continuously covered with hoods. Additionally, they are placed in individual cells at the detention center and in both situations their hands are bound behind their backs to restrict any physical contact. This limiting of their senses to only hearing contributes to the sense of uncertainty the students experience; not only are they unsure of what their futures may hold in these detention centers, but they also have no knowledge about their physical environment in order to orient themselves. The only sense they have of the space of confinement is what they hear, which is generally the sounds and screams of other detenidos being tortured. In one instance, the rest of the students even hear one female student being assaulted and raped by one of the prison guards in her cell. In the beginning of the imprisonment in La noche de los lápices, in the one scene where the detainees are confined in collective spaces, Pablo and another student are seen blindfolded and bound back to back while discussing their previous lives outside of the cell and how they knew each other.

  This type of verbal communication does not come from outside the prison space, but does concretely connect them to this space by conjuring memories of the outside. In addition to only having an auditory awareness of the prison space, their perception of the space outside only derives from sound. The only sound they can hear from the other side of the prison walls are gunshots, presumably the soundtrack to other prisoners being executed.

  The space of incarceration in La noche de los lápices differs from that in La voz dormida in that the prison in the latter is an official space, while the former is an unofficial torture center that is not disclosed to the general Argentinian population. Toward the beginning of their imprisonment, Pablo and Claudia, from their individual cells, discuss what they will do once they are released, including planning a dinner date, therefore inferring that their detention is only temporary.   This expression of hope shifts by the end of the film, with the students losing hope that they will ever reach the outside again. Instead, they hope for a transfer to an official prison where their families will know where they are and there will be a record of their internment. In La voz dormida there exists a dichotomized space between the prison space and that which is outside of the prison. Even though the two are generally separated, the contingency of these spaces shows the points of contact between imprisoned and ‘free.’ Those who are not confined to a prison continuously run the risk of being detained and losing their freedom. La noche de los lápices maintains the same fluid binary between the unofficial detention center and the outside world; while those who are within the prison space have no connection to the outside and little prospects of eventual release, those outside toe the line between freedom and incarceration. Additionally, this film references another space - the official prison - that creates a ternary, rather than a binary.

   
• 1 2017-05-30T16:16:45-07:00 The Collective 11 plain 2017-06-14T19:40:53-07:00

  Throughout the Argentine dictatorship, the military junta detained the students along with other people deemed subversive not only to prevent them from acting against the government, but also to interrogate them for information about other dissidents. One way in which the military junta attempted to fracture relationships among the imprisoned students, and therefore potentially extract more information from them, was to eliminate their sense of community, partially by limiting human contact through both physical touch and vision, but the prisoners were able to subvert this limit through verbal communication. In La noche de los lápices, the students are seen segregated individually into cramped concrete cells that prevent them from ever seeing the others. In order to maintain connections, they yelled to one another from their cells, discussing a variety of topics ranging from the fate of other prisoners to what they want to eat once they are released. At one point, they verbally coordinate performing squats to build up muscle mass through exercise. Hearing, in addition to speaking, plays an important role in this collectivity. The students can hear the sounds of the prison, including those coming from other prisoners being tortured, which draws them to communicate more in order to resist the culture of fear within the prison. When the rest of the students hear María being assaulted by a guard, they attempt to resist by collectively shouting profanities at him. Not only does their verbal communication allow them to maintain contact with one another in a situation where they are meant to be entirely isolated, but it also creates a means of collective resistance against torture executed by the military.

  While the prisoners in La noche de los lápices are separated into individual cells for a majority of their incarceration, those in La voz dormida are all kept in one wing of the prison with open cells. Additionally, when the prisoners are allowed to receive visitors, they are all taken to one room separated by bars, through which they all talk at the same time. The prisoners all line one side of the bars, with the visitors on the other. Even when these women have a chance to connect with their lives before incarceration, they are surrounded by the other prisoners sharing the same experience. In the opening scene, the prisoners are seen huddling together within the cells while names are called out for execution.  As these women get up to walk to their deaths, the other prisoners say tearful goodbyes, knowing that they are losing a member of their collective. This communal experience is echoed throughout the film, with the repetition of scenes depicting the female prisoners communing in their cells. Tensi receives a package from Pepita containing letters and articles of clothing, but also items for other prisoners. One woman gets a piece of clothing that belonged to her mother and decides to gift it to another prisoner, rather than keeping the sentimental item for herself. When the fellow prisoners learn of the guards’ plan to execute Tensi toward the end of La voz dormida, they go to her and comfort her while she comes to terms with her impending death. In addition to sharing the physical space of the prison in much closer proximity than the characters in La noche de los lápices, these women also forge an emotional collective.

  In both La noche de los lápices and La voz dormida the prisoners maintain personal relationships and forge a community through verbal communication, which is further developed and represented through their use of singing.

• 1 2017-06-10T14:00:57-07:00 Song as Resistance 6 plain 2017-06-14T16:34:18-07:00

  It is necessary to distinguish that this use of song comes from the characters themselves and not just a decision made by a music director for the soundtrack of the film. The songs that each of the groups sing become a part of the plot and function as pivotal points of subversion and rebellion in these highly controlled prison spaces. Within a prison space your entire life becomes regulated and you are forced to function by an imposed set of rules. Freedom and self expression diminish as you are just ‘one more person’ in this confined space. However, the use of one’s voice becomes the only medium by which self-expression manifests itself in these spaces of confinement. In the case of these films, song becomes the ultimate manifestation of voice and singing as a group becomes a place to foster collectivity and resistance.

      In La voz dormida, the key moment of song is the scene at the very beginning of the film in which some of the women are taken away to be killed. This scene is filled with the meaning of sound. First, the filming focuses on the women of the cell and the main characters of the film but outside this cell you hear the gunshots of the firing squad; more importantly you hear the individual shots after the firing squad that each prisoner was given to ensure death. The inmates count the number of shots and then a chorus of slurs against the fascist government builds, yelling out “murderer,” pointing to the injustice of their deaths. Amongst the yelling from women in other cells you hear the start of “La Internacional,” originally written in french by Eugène Pottier. This song is considered the communist anthem and reflects the plight of workers worldwide, a musical embodiment of socialism. In the moment that the filming focuses on Tensi and Elvira singing the song they hold their fists up in the universal symbol of resistance (a closed fist in the air) and the lyrics of the song that are highlighted are: “Atruena la razón en marcha: /es el fin de la opresión” [Deafen the reason underway: it is the end to oppression]. In this moment, there could not have a been a more resistive gesture than the singing of this song and the collective form of resistance to the the injustices they experienced and the fascist government.

      In La noche de los lápices their song of choice is “Rasguña las piedras” by Sui Generis that plays as a part of the soundtrack, and is often found repeated throughout the film. The most poignant moment for this song is in the prison space, similar to that of “La Internacional” in La voz dormida. The students that are imprisoned and separated into individual cells sing the song as a means of building that collective, of connecting to the outside world, and of resisting their imprisonment. As was previously stated, the only means through which the students form that collective is through an auditory experience. In prison, Claudia leads the singing of the song and the others join in. This moment alludes to their experience in the outside world, when they would hang out, sing songs, and participate in those teenage rituals that in some ways marked their freedom. The song is a means of comfort in this prison, and most importantly a means of resistance. The lyrics of the song describe a star-crossed love separated by “paredes” [walls] and “piedras” [rocks] and culturally has been taken as metaphor for the limitation society has imposed on us. When the song describes the “rasguña las piedras” [scratch at the rocks] it emblematizes fighting for your dreams and what is beyond those walls. The song then transforms into a cry of hope that the prison will not limit them, that their singing will be their form of resistance until they are released.

      It is necessary to note that these films in their use of song create a highly performative  and dramatized form of resistance. The scenes with song are highly controlled in their presentation of the story and the expression of their emotions. The staging in the scenes is deliberate and this meticulousness points to the vehicle by which the story is communicated--film.