I hope you've enjoyed looking through this blog! Through the last four pages, we have tackled my two focus questions:
How do movies uphold regimes of truth through systems of representations?
What can be done to combat these fallacies?
I was able to do this through the lens of Stuart Hall, a critical theorist who came up with the ideas of a discursive framework, systems of representation, and regimes of truth. Emilia Pérez was a perfect example to combine with Hall's ideas as it is similar to the modern Patagonia example from before, a film that upholds a long lasting fallacy about Mexican life, and the connections that Mexicans have to drug cartels. This movie, along with many others, assumes that Mexico is a land full of crime, lies, and drugs, which has been a long lasting regime of truth in our society. Throughout this blog, I was able to provide concrete examples of how this fallacy, or in Hall's words: regime of truth, was upheld, and how the movie frames these ideas serving as a system of representations working hand in hand with the regime of truth. My goal with this blog was to point out the discursive formation that Audiard created with this film to hopefully prevent this regime of truth from being passed on to future filmmakers and future viewers of this film.
However, there is still more I'd like to talk about. To further combat this regime of truth, I would like to offer some movie recommendations that challenge it, and provide better representation of Mexican people.
Blue Beetle Trailer (2023)
Blue Beetle (2023), directed by Angel Manuel Soto, and staring Mexican-Cuban American actor Xolo Maridueña. This movie serves as an origin story for the DC superhero, Blue Beetle. The main character Jaime comes into contact with the Scarab, a piece of alien technology that claims him as its host, transforming Jaime into the Blue Beetle (Rotten Tomatoes 2023). Focusing on family dynamics in Mexican households alongside superhero antics, this movie feels authentically Mexican, in a way that Emilia Pérez does not. This movie features Mexican actors for most of its main cast, and this addition is felt. It makes all the scenes that the family have together feel genuine, not a mix-match of stereotypes mashed together.
2. Y Tu Mamá También (2001), directed by Alfonso Cuarón stars Rogue One, and Andor actor Diego Luna in his first breakout role. This movie is a coming of age film where two young men and a woman take a road trip and learn more about each other and themselves(IMDB). This movie is a great representation of Mexican culture and friendship, and the main crutch of this movie focuses on how the characters interact with each other and their own personal dynamics. Also starring Mexican actors and being directed by a Mexican filmmaker helps this movie feel more real, too, as they were able to make their own choices about their characters that fit a character that is of the same ethnic background as them.
Trailer for Y tu mamá también (2001)