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

  • Mercedes Pombo
  • Zulema Marzorati
Keywords: photography ; beauty ; avant;garde ; looks ; Jewish colonies

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.

References

Avni, Haim (1993). “Prólogo” en Haim Avni y Leonardo Senkman (Compiladores) Del campo al campo. Colonos de Argentina en Israel. Buenos Aires: Milá-AMIA

Alcalde, V. (2017) “Opresión y liberación femenina desde la mirada del otro”. Revista Melibea Vol. 11, 2017.2, pp 21-32. Disponible en https://bdigital.uncu.edu.ar/objetos_digitales/12945/melibea01.pdf Consultado

Berger, J. (2000) Modos de ver. Barcelona: Ed. Gustavo Gilli

Berger, J. (2008) (4°ed) Mirar. Buenos Aires: Editorial La Flor.

De Micheli, M. (2000) Las vanguardias artísticas del siglo XX. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.

Gorodischer, Angélica (2009). La cámara oscura. Buenos Aires: Emecé.

Published
2022-07-01
How to Cite
Pombo , M., & Marzorati, Z. (2022). Ver y ser visto. Algunas reflexiones en torno a La cámara oscura (Menis, 2008). Cuadernos Del Centro De Estudios De Diseño Y Comunicación, (163). https://doi.org/10.18682/cdc.vi163.6996

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