The Metaphor of Death in Film: Graphic Images, Surreal Transgressions. Panel 2: Filmic Representations of the Art of War and Survival

Panel 1: The Metaphor of Death in Film: Graphic Images, Surreal Transgressions. Chair: Graciela Tissera. Lisa Dueñas: The Aura by Fabián Bielinsky (2005): Perceptions of Death in an Elusive Reality. Abstract: This presentation will explore the perceptions of reality and the confrontation between theory and practice in the movie The Aura by Fabián Bielinsky (2005). Photographic memory and strategic planning skills will initiate a journey plagued with obsessions, corruption, and betrayal. At the intersections of personal fantasies and violence the initial puzzle will become a deadly trap filled with confusion and enlightenment. Meg O’Sell: Confronting Death, Duty, and Love in Felicitas by Maria Teresa Costantini (2009). Abstract: This presentation will analyze the movie Felicitas by Maria Teresa Costantini (2009) to explore the unfortunately short life of Felicitas Guerrero. Unlike the pain she carried as a mother who lost her son, the suffering she experienced as a widow had the potential to be alleviated, but her chance was just out of reach due to her premature death. The cause of her death was fueled by love. Graciela Tissera: Filmic portrayals of the Subconscious mind and the Game of Death. Abstract: This presentation will explore the complexity of the mind through the analysis of Sublime by Tony Krantz (2007). The mind influences and plays a key role in how people handle adversities. In comatose states, individuals are submerged in an unknown world and must reconcile the subconscious symbols of life and death. In the struggle to find a resolution, fear and despair will become the main contenders. Panel 2: Filmic Representations of the Art of War and Survival. Chair: Dolores Martín-Armas. Maggie Boyd: Times of War and Alternate Existences in Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro (2006). Abstract: This presentation will analyze the movie in Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro (2006) to explore how war and violence affect the minds, psyche, attitudes, and character of adults and children alike. Themes, symbols, and messages carried common aspects of hope, justice, good vs. evil, defense mechanisms, selflessness and courage, and the power of the imagination to reconstruct the lost innocence. Rebecca McConnell: Europe under Fire: The Intricate Worlds of Survival. Abstract: This presentation will explore the impact of repression and survival in the movie The Girl of your Dreams by Fernando Trueba (1998). In Civil War torn Spain, Germany invites a group of filmmakers to shoot two versions of the Andalusian musical drama The girl of your dreams in Berlin. Soon they discover that they cannot leave the war and related conflicts behind them. The collaboration to produce a work of art will turn into a desperate plan to survive. Dolores Martín-Armas: Women in the Franco Regime: Prisoners, Guerrilleras and Tailors. Abstract: This presentation will analyze the role of the women who kept the republican cause and the fight for freedom alive. The film La voz dormida (The Sleeping Voice) 2011, based on the novel by Dulce Chacón, shows the life of a group of women who could not live their love relationship or experience their motherhood, but learned to trust and support each other against the repression and the violence inside and outside of jail