Sara goes through her own revolution and takeover in her own personal life while the government is undergoing a military coup at the same time. The different characters represent many different people in Spain during the time, to portray personal narratives of people living through a historical event.
I believe Sara’s character represents much more than the transition of a girl throughout life. …. To me, Sara represents Spain itself, while her mother represents the tight constraints of Franco’s government.
We have discussed how movies like this depict intrahistoria which is a history that doesn’t typically make it into the history books… Comparing this film to other historical films we have watched, this one is much more realistic than the others. Como agua para chocolate falls on a very magical and fabricated side of the spectrum whereas this one doesn’t at all. This film was extremely realistic and relatable which I think adds to the historical film aspect.
There are scenes of actual news and soldiers in the film. In an effort to show the historical context of the film, this contrast of fiction and real history is shown many times. The director wants to show the intensity of this era through these punk characters.
The protagonist, however, exhibits struggles and pitfalls as she tries to navigate this contemporary period of her life which can further allude to the struggles of the ‘new’ Spain.
Sara sits in the bed crouched and looking at the floor while her mother stands tall and menacing over her, behind them, a giant cross towering over both of them. This shows how during that time the younger generation was trying to become more accepting, yet the older generation was too influenced by strict Christianity and seemed only critical of them.
In recently fascist Spain, it would not be going too far to say that this is rebellion against the remnants of fascism that still influences many of the older generation including Sara’s mother. The coup that happens shows how volatile and dangerous Spain’s democracy is. Instead of directly focusing on this political development, El Calentito explores politics through the eyes of its characters.
In this film gender roles, sexuality, family dynamics, monogamy, politics, music, sex, and sexual orientation are all put to the text by the different characters in this film.
Next is the theme of being yourself.
Another interesting facet of El Calentito’s cinematography is that it gives us examples of the “female gaze.”
The camerawork also is useful in achieving this heightened sense of sensory overload. The camera is either bobbing up and down with the punk music blaring, or it is in close ups that the director literally entraps you in the rush and excitement of all the club scenes.
I feel like this movie was very successful in accomplishing its purpose of using a historical event to familiarize the audience with issues about sexuality and openness, an issue still prevalent today. This movie was one of my favorites personally as it took a historical event and applied it to a realistic situation that leaned less on fantasy to sell its “truths”.
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