The Film Industry and the Commercialization of Victims
It is beyond necessary to note that the film industry is built and thrives on a system of consumerism. Appealing to a mass audience often guides the writing and directing of blockbuster films and, as such, any filmic representation of spaces of confinement are guided by capitalistic tendencies. Mary Ann Dellinger notes that “la demanda de un mercado de consumo hace posible no sólo la mediocridad literaria, sino también la barata comercialización del sacrificio personal de las víctimas antifranquistas” [the demand of a consumer market makes possible not only literary mediocrity, but also the cheap commercialization of the personal sacrifice of the anti-francoist victims] (362). Her reflection on post-francoist literature can be applied to many representations of trauma and the use of victim-testimonies in a broader geographical and historical context.
Both La voz dormida and La noche de los lápices are based on true stories and inherently attempt to present the viewer with accurate representations of their victims. Arguably, these two films would not fall into the level of mediocrity that Dellinger points to, although others certainly do, like Las trece rosas and El secreto de sus ojos. Both films should be praised for a focus on the prison-spaces and how they outline the struggles the prisoners face with isolation, contact with the outside, maintaining a collective community, and the moments of subversion. However, La voz dormida does focus and promote a romantic subplot that is irrelevant and often detracts from those moments in the prison space. La noche de los lápices also tries to construct a slight love plot between Pablo and Claudia although it’s not nearly as present as in the other film. It has been proven time and again that love-plots sell tickets; even films that would not be defined as romantic often still hold romantic sub-plots. There are also various moments, as was seen in the scenes of them singing, in which the film dramatizes the experiences the inmates face. Although both of these films do a good job at representing the prison space, it is unavoidable that the consumerist system interferes in their production.