SPN 376 Cinematic Reflections on Latin America Studies
In Latin America, filmmaking is commonly a political act. Many filmmakers use their work to reflect upon the numerous social, economic, and political characteristics of their countries and also to transmit their political ideals and aspirations. This type of relationship between cinema and politics is not exclusive to Latin America but, in a region where political instability and corruption are everyday occurrences, film stops being simple entertainment and becomes a powerful political tool. This course will examine several Latin American films that could be described as political and will focus on how their aesthetic elements ponder over the region’s most important historical, social, and political events of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Prerequisite: two courses at the lower 300-level (numbered SPN 300-349).