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Textual analysis Student C
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Textual Analysis: La Mujer Sin Cabeza
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TextualAnalysis:LaMujerSinCabeza(2008)
SequenceRunningtime:00:03:11–00:08:11
Thescene Ihavechosen is taken fromthebeginningof the film,wherewesee
themain character,Veronica, leaving a family gathering andhitting something
whiledrivinghercar,andtheaftermathoftheaccident.Theveryopeningscene
of the film, right before the extract, shows four boys and a dog playing in the
sameareathroughwhichVeronicawillsoondrive,andoneof theboysgetting
stuck in the canalalongside the road. In theextractwesee that shehitsadog
withhercar,withthequestionremainingwhethershehitandkilledoneofthe
boys, as well setting up the whole film. I am going to analyze the sequence in
terms of its social and political context as well as its use of diegetic sound,
cinematography, editing and sequencing, narrative techniques, and the
filmmaker’sintentionsandvision.
Thefirstimportantsymbolinthesceneisherhaircolor,whichisdyedblonde,
andattractsacomplimentfromafriendatthebeginningoftheextract(Fig.1),
makingitthefirstofmanypositiveandnegativecommentsaboutherhaircolor
throughout the rest of the film. At the end, she dyes it dark brown, “a sort of
impossibleredemption”,assherefusestoacknowledgethemurderthatshemay
havecommitted(Sosa:73).
Figure1–AfriendcomplimentsVeronicaonherhaircolor
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Textual analysis Student C
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Textual Analysis: La Mujer Sin Cabeza
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The total lack of soundtrack is another important element of my chosen
sequence,andit istypicalofdirectorLucreciaMartelinherdramafilms(Beck:
746).Sheuseslittletononon-diegeticsoundstocreateamoreimmersivefeel,
sothatwehearonlywhatthecharactershear.Inthisscene,whatwecanhearis
the song “Soley Soley”, by a group (appropriately) named Middle of the Road.
Thedirectordescribedthebandasmakingthetypeofmusicthatthepeoplewho
ignored the dictatorship would listen to, referring to the political state of
Argentinaintherecentpast(Taubin).Ithinkithasaverythoughtless,cheerful
qualitythatseemstoevokeasenseofwillfuloblivionthatperhapspeoplewho
wereignoringthenegativesideofthegovernmentwouldfeel,anditconnectsto
Veronica’sstateofmind,withherwillfulignoranceofapossiblemurder.
Thelackofsoundtrackputsusmoreintotheshoesofthecharacter,asdoesthe
behind-the-wheelperspectivethatMartelusesatthebeginningofthescene.The
directorsaidthatshetreatshercameralikeanothercharacter,andwilltherefore
neverputitinaplacewhereapersonwouldnotbe(Taubin).Forinstance,inthe
carscenethecameraisneveronthehood,butalwayseitherinVeronica’sseator
theseatbesideher. In thebeginningweseedirectly fromhereyes, there isan
animalcrossingsign,which isalmosta foreshadowing,andthena fewseconds
later the crash occurs, when she looks down to pick up her phone and the
cameragoesdownwithher.Whatfollowsisaverylongsingleshotofherprofile,
as she seems to contemplatewhether sheshouldgetoutand lookatwhat she
hasdone.Shemakessomehesitantmovements,asifsheweregoingtoopenthe
door, but she never really does. In the end she just puts on her sunglasses,
symbolically shieldinghereyes from thecrime.Thenshe turnsonher carand
keepsdriving,bothliterallyandfigurativelyleavingtheaccidentandthepossible
murderbehind.
Wegetabriefshotofwhatshehasleftbehind,whichisthebodyofadogonthe
road.We can see that shehit a dog, butwedonot know if she alsohit a boy,
because if she has, he has probably been forced into the canal by the impact.
Laterinthefilm,abodyisfoundinthatcanal,supposedlyhavingdrowned,the
issuestill remainingofwhethershehithimornot.Though the film is insome
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ways set up like a mystery, the director herself has said that there is no real
answer to the question driving it, what is more important than what actually
happenedishowVeronicarespondstoit(Taubin).
When thecameragoesback to the insideof thecar,wecansee that thesetof
handprintsonthewindowthatwenoticedearlierinthescenehasshifted(Fig.
2).Thehandprintswereputtherebyalittleboyatthebeginningoftheextract,
and Veronica had behaved very affectionately towards him, her fondness for
childrenmaking it evenmoredisturbing that she isnow ignoring the fact that
shemayhavekilledone.Notonlydotheprintsremindusofthatinteraction,but
the slight change of their angle and position on the window has no material
explanationinthefilm,andisasortofsurrealhorror-liketechniquetomakeus
thinkthatperhapstheywereinsomewayplacedtherebytheboyshemayhave
collidedwithandkilled.
Figure2–Thehandprintsonthecarwindowshiftposition
After driving for a little bit longer, she finally parks her car and gets out as it
starts to rain, this change in weather signaling the change in tone of the film,
fromsunnyandlight-heartedtodarkandserious. Italsoseemstosuggestthat
the rain is washing the blood off her car, if there is any, erasing any actual
evidenceofwhatshehasdoneandleavingherwithherownmoralobligationto
admitthetruthaboutit.Thisissomethingsheneverthoroughlydoes,evenwhen
she endsup tellingher fears toherhusband, “she strenuously conceals from -
herself the knowledge of her own guilt” (Bradshaw). Also, the rain on the
windshield of the car blurs her figure as she stands outside, which is perhaps
symbolicofthewayherrealityandsenseofselfaregoingtobeblurredforthe
rest of the film (Fig. 3). To convey the confusion and detachment from reality
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that the character is experiencing, the director uses shallow focus lengths
throughoutthewholefilm(Andermann:160).
Figure3–Veronica’sfigureisblurredbytherain
Theextractisimportantbecauseitisthetriggeringeventoftheplotanditalso
setsthefilmontoadarktone,separatingtheviewerfromthefamiliarsituation
portrayedinthepreviousscene.Therewasaverylighttonetothemothersand
childrentalkingaroundtheircars,butat thispoint,withapotentialmurderat
hand,weareseparatedfromVeronicaandarethereforeableto feelhershock,
butnotherguilt, aswebegin to judgeherandheractions.Thescene isalsoa
goodexampleofhowactinginvisualsymbolismformsthenarrativestyleofthe
film,asdoesthelackofsoundtrack.
TheculturalcontextofthefilmisthepresenceofracisminArgentiniansociety.
ThiscomesfromtheideathatArgentinawasfoundedby,andthereforebelongs
to,whiteEuropeanimmigrants,whichmaterializesitselfinsocietyasadisregard
forlowerclass,darkerskinnedpeople.Veronicaisarelativelycomfortableupper
middleclasswhiteblondewoman,whereastheboysshowninthebeginningof
thefilmwerevisiblylesswealthyandhaddarkerskin.
Martelherselfstatedthatthisfilmissymbolicoftherefusaloftheupperclassto
acknowledge the economic gap between themselves and the lower class
(Taubin).ThisisvisiblewithVeronica’sfailuretoadmitthedamagethatshemay
havecausedtotheboyandhisfamily.Shealsosaidthatsheseesalotofdanger
in the way that individuals “refuse to take responsibility for larger-scale
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Textual analysis Student C
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Textual Analysis: La Mujer Sin Cabeza
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problems”and thereforewanted tocreate this filmnotonlyasapsychological
thriller, but also, and more importantly, as commentary, examining and
discussing the responsibility of the upper class to make society a better place,
whichaddstotheculturalsignificanceofthefilm(Taubin).
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WorksCited
Andermann,Jens.NewArgentineCinema.NewYork:I.B.Tauris,2012.Print.
Beck,Jay.“AcousticAuteursandTransnationalCinema”.TheOxfordHandbookof
SoundandImageinDigitalMedia.Eds.CarolVernallis,AmyHerzog,John
Richardson.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2013.Print.
Bradshaw, Peter. “The Headless Woman.” Rev. of The Headless Woman, dir.
LucreciaMartel.TheGuardian.18Feb2010.Web.30March2016.
Martel, Lucrecia, dir. The Headless Woman (La Mujer Sin Cabeza). Strand
Releasing,2008.Film.
Sosa, Cecilia. Queering Acts of Mourning in the Aftermath of Argentina’s
Dictatorship: The Performances of Blood. Woodbridge: Tamesis, 2014.
Print.
Taubin,Amy. “LucreciaMartel Interviewed:ShadowofaDoubt.”FilmComment.
Jul/Aug2008.Web.30March2016.