Ver y ser visto. Algunas reflexiones en torno a La cámara oscura (Menis, 2008)

Abstract

The Argentine-French film Camera Obscura by María Victoria Menis (2008) takes place in a Jewish colony in Entre Ríos at the end of the 19th century. The movie tells the story of Gertrudis (Mirta Bogdasarian), a girl considered ugly by her surroundings, especially by her mother, who through her gaze conveys the contempt she feels for her daughter´s physical appearance. This attitude leaves a very deep mark on the protagonist, determining her future and her insecurities as a woman. The film addresses the importance of looks as social support, both through the camera obscure, photography or the intersections that occur in relationships. Gertrudis is a victim of rejection for her supposed ugliness until the arrival at the town of Jean Baptiste (Patrick Dell'Isola), a French photographer, chronicler of the First World War. This shows her another way of seeing the world, where beauty does not correspond to what is socially imposed, which represents a change of perspective for Gertrudis. This article aims at investigating the vision of the protagonist, reflecting on the concept of subjectivity and assessment. Because of this, the filmic story takes photography and its different social functions as its main axis, both as a trace of the past, as an expression of art through the historical avant-gardes and the new views and conceptions about what is or is not beautiful.