Up until the 1990’s, Argentina was ruled by an authoritarian government (Rocha and Garces 1). This state system was characterized by rampant violence all over the country. This violence was state sponsored as the military perpetrated it. Numerous military coups had different political motivations. The common denominator, however, was the need to monopolize the physical force within the county’s borders. No matter the ruling regime, they always found a way to justify the same. The various armed groups that sought to utilize force to advocate for their particular causes provide sufficient proof. Thus, the larger part of the county’s history throughout the past century has been molded by violence.
Cultural violence goes back to Juan Peron. Peron and his wife set the foundation for this brand of culture. The military later embraced and escalated this culture in their authoritarian rule during the Dirty Wars. During this time, many disappearances were reported. The ‘disappearances’ were used to explain people who went missing and their remains never found. An estimated population of 30,000 people suffered this self-sponsored atrocity. From “The Secret in your Eyes”, this is brought out in Isidoro’s ‘disappearance’. The military got away with it by vehemently refusing public scrutiny (Rocha and Garces). Consequently, through their actions, the Perons and the Army contributed significantly to the fall of the country into terror statehood.
Structural Inequalities in the 1990’s
As a result of the country’s re-democratization, many problems followed. The core one was increasing disparity within the population’s living standards (Rocha and Garces). The inequality set the stage for a new form of violence referred to as structural violence. This violence was fueled by poverty, malnutrition, poor health, local violence, and clear state hierarchies; for example, the police were involved in various high profile crimes in the country. The disregard for fundamental human rights was as result of the continued culture of police impunity from the left wing military regime. A relevant example of this impunity is the murder of Jose Luis Cabezas (Rocha and Garces). In “The Secret in Your Eyes”, this form of impunity is seen as Romano has officers brutally beat a confession out of two innocent workers. Thus, the change in government also modified the kind of violence widespread in the country.
Moreover, unlike the armed groups in the 1970’s, the offhand middle class did not seek to interrupt the democratic system. They only wished to get what they felt they were owed, which can be explained as a fight for equality. The situation further escalated with civil resistance from the lower class. Their form of violence included protest involved, looting, roadblocks, and settling in empty houses. While the country thought that it was trying to move away from the state-sponsored political violence that had prevailed earlier, it was actually entering into a new one. Argentine cinema, Playwrights, Writers, and filmmakers were keen on the apparent changes that had engulfed this young nation. Cinemas were no longer focused on the 1975 version of dictatorship and guerilla war in retaliation (Rocha and Garces). Therefore, the structural inequalities provided fertile ground for new Argentine cinema.
Old and New Types of Violence
“The Secret in Your Eyes” is creatively designed to present a contrast between the two times. The film takes us to murder and rape cases that occurred 25 years earlier to reveal the old kind of violence. This case clearly highlights the situation at the time. Furthermore, during the investigation, we come across a kidnapping and torture revelation in line with the old violence. Also, another violence erupts when Benjamin’s friend is killed in the film. His murder highlights remnants of the past violence in the culture. In the current time, we see police impunity, abuse of power, as well as apparent racial insult in most societies across the world. Thus, the film subtly shows the brands of violence famous to Argentinian culture.
Prior to Carlos Menem, the country had a socialistic system; education, healthcare, and other welfare programs were subsidized by the government. As a result, their currency was massively devalued. The new president’s plan was radical and meant to resurrect the failing economy. Thus, he cut down government spending and removed the subsidized welfare and social programs, which left the people to fend for themselves. Additionally, the privatization of the state-owned companies transferred their ownership to both private and foreign investors. Later on, there was a subsequent downsizing, which left scores of previously trained workers jobless (Rocha and Garces). The overall effect on the economy was that a few people enjoyed the bulk of the benefits. In state intuitions, corruption and impunity spread quickly. Ultimately, the lower class resulted in looting stores for food. The gradual escalation of events evidently show how Carlos Menem’s policies systematically led to a new form of violence
The National Myth
In the parts of the 20th century, Argentina country had two leading national myths: exceptionalism and civility. The country was not like its Latin American neighbors; it had a thriving middle class and boasted of a hospitable environment for foreigners (Rocha and Garces). After decades of systems of repression by the various regimes, these myths started to die gradually. In the film, this is shown using the xenophobic driver. The systematic devaluation and abuse of women in the country by mechanism put in place by male authoritarian leaders made the country more “Latinized”. Also, the extensive institutional decay paved the way to a culture of violence that killed the civility myth. As a result, it was hard for the old national myths to survive at the new time of repression, misogyny, and authoritarianism institutional decay.
The film portrays a misogynistic society as seen by the various roles women are given. Also, this case is well depicted by the way men generally treat women in the film. Women are forced to occupy sites of injury. Moreover, they suffer consequences of not embracing such sites as the male-dominated society gives them no chance of seeking for equal treatment. The result of a capitalist male instigated repression is the widespread systemic violence observed in various scenes in the movie. “The Secret in Your Eyes” accurately depicts the situation in the Argentine society. Thus, the film shows what happens when a country’s mythologies die out. A culture of violence springs up to fill this void, leading to deaths and loss of humanity.
The Fourth Space
The fourth space is characterized by the collapse of the mythologies that limit violence. Besides, the characters are left in overwhelming violence (Rocha and Garces). The fore-discussed instances from the film to some degree illustrate violence in the fourth space. Likewise, the murder of Pablo brings the fourth space into perspective. He is killed in a remote province as Gomez’s or Romano’s target. The circumstances of his murder show no mythological boundaries to restrain his killer. These circumstances are created purely on physical and mental spaces. Thus, violence can arise from the sudden breakdown of mythologies in society as illustrated in the fourth space.
Social and geographical spaces can be repurposed to reflect globalization and the widening gap between the social classes. Concerning globalization, social spaces can reflect different cultural aspects in other parts of the world. For instance, this can be addressed during soccer matches like the one in the film. On the other hand, geographical space can show the level of disparities among the various socioeconomic groups. The most common are the levels of sanitation, waste disposal, and graffiti. Also, the physical space of Buenos Aires acquires a new deteriorated space due to decline of the city’s mythologies. The result is increased violence highlighting the economic disparity of the residents. Therefore, multiple spaces can be repurposed to show specific situations in society.
Magical realism
In art, magical realism is a genre used to give refined details of the existent world while painting a magical picture. This style catches the audience heedless as it is used to elicit an unexpected reaction to the unanticipated wealth of reality in the genre. The genre has a few distinct characteristics since it immerses the reader in the two realms of reality. A genuine instance is at the train station when Irene is left behind by Benjamin in the moving train. The scene has very realistic detailing of the old train station, and couch Benjamin sits on while stretching his hand towards the moisture filled glass window. These details plus the authentic emotions on Irene’s face drowns you in this sad yet magical moment as she runs after the train. The genre also treats metaphors like reality. Thus, the audience gets a better cinematic experience.
In addition, the two realms seem to merge at some point. They also challenge the concept of time in the given space as it appears both as history and timeless. The scene where Isidoro is locked in a cage begging for freedom takes you through time with the thought, “he has been here the whole time”. The dark lit dungeon and the flurry of emotions among the three paints the intensity of the moment vividly. Isidoro’s rugged face also helps detail his experience over time. One can see just how long he has been in there judging by his tired look. Through listening carefully, one can also weigh the amount of agony in his voice. Magical realism is, therefore, a powerful tool used in the film to engage the audience at a deeper level like in the movie.
Favorite Scenes
My favorite scene in the movie is when Benjamin meets up with his Pablo, his alcoholic friend. While looking for Gomez, Pablo explains that people could change any aspect of their lives if they had enough motivation to do it. However, he insists that people cannot change one thing, their passion. I am intrigued by the way he explains his discovery in the bar situation to Benjamin. The poetry of the situation does not elude me as he is an alcoholic. I liked this scene as it resonated with me. I find the truest self of a person comes out while doing whatever they love. Thus, because of these reasons, this scene is definitely my favorite.
Argentine films are discernible when it comes to their small production budget and rough quality. However, “The Secret in Your Eyes” shows a new face of their production quality. A sleeker quality marks it as compared to the typical rough quality popularly produced. I find this change overdue concerning cinematography and investment. The apparent shift in the style and inspiration of the films warrants the change. That is, the form of violence in the country has transitioned from the left wing dictatorship to the structural socioeconomic one (Rocha and Garces). Therefore, the depiction of this violence in cinema should also be marked by a similar change as its development. I think the change in quality does not make the film lose their gritty features, but serves to enhance the Argentine cinema experience.
Work Cited
Rocha, Carolina, and Elizabeth, Montes, Garces. Violence in Argentine literature and film. University of Calgary Press, 2005.
