The Silence of Others — A Film Review
By: Carmen Martinez
Tags: Film Reviews

The Silence of Others — A Film Review

The Spanish Civil War was filled with atrocities from both the Republican state and General Franco’s. That isn’t to say that we should minimize what the rebels did to the people affected but we should consider what the other side felt as well. The film, the Silence of Others takes a skewed perspective from the beginning in that it portrays the rebels in a completely negative view without also looking at the Republican state to allow the viewer a more rounded approach to the civil war. Although the film lacks information to be well rounded, it makes up in the approach it took to film the individuals affected by the civil war and gives a genuine and honest quality to it. In some ways I saw reflections of my family in the suffering of those in the film because they too had friends and family disappear during the civil war in El Salvador. Unlike my family who have been able to learn about such atrocities at home, the Spanish cannot say the same. The film explored a part of history meant to be erased and whitewashed anew. The Silence of Others allows for the silence to be broken, for the unheard to finally be heard.

The film looks at a case brought to the international court with the Argentinian government for crimes against humanity that were committed against the Spanish people during the Spanish Civil War. The crimes discussed in the film included kidnappings and disappearances of friends and family, torture, and murder. The film provided first hand accounts of each situation and was supported by Casanovas book. Many victims were subject to paseos and never returned home leaving family members in limbo when attempts were made to located their bodies. For example, many of the dead have yet to be discovered as they were scattered in the most unlikely of places and families would find them in registry offices and cemetery lists published by various studies (Casanova, 188). Women were subject to abuses by the rebel’s hands ranging from having their hair shorn to sexual harassment (Casanova, 188). This again was supported by the film and featured family members witnessing their mothers or other loved ones being harassed in towns where neighbors and dwellers watched. Finally, the viewer Is shown the cases of women who had their infants taken from them at birth without receiving any explanation as to what happened except that their infants have died. This too was supported by Casanovas text as he mentioned a prominent woman, Amparo Barayón who had her baby taken from her by a secretary of a prisoner governor when she was imprisoned being told that ‘reds do not have the right to bring up children’ (Casanova, 189). Although each of the cases differed they all had a unifying theme, a crime against humanity and the lawyers involved were hoping to bring peace and justice to the victims.

As mentioned in the introduction the film lacks In representation of both sides involved in the war. It would highly benefit the viewers to understand that although these specific people mentioned in the film suffered there were also others on the rebel side who did as well. For example, it did not discuss the attacks on the clergymen which amounted to 1189 priests, 794 monks, and 50 nuns being killed with most being in Republican held Spain (Casanova, 195). The church was important to the country but according to our lectures in class many became disillusioned with the church since they often sided with the wealthy. I do not mean to undermine the film but it is Important that the viewers be given a more rounded view of the whole war. According to Casanova treatment of women by the Republic was not as Insidious as it was by the rebels but there did exist many of the same crimes caused by the Republic supporters. Because the military rose their was a break of all social constraints meaning justice reverted to its oldest and purest origin; the people created and applied its own law and procedure thus the paseo (Casanova, 169).

I truly believe the purpose of the film was to bring recognition to the Spanish Civil War in Spain where education and society lacks In Informing its citizens of a piece of history that molded their present and future selfs. The lack of recognition to the thousands of people who suffered under Francos terror should bring unrest to society because such crimes cannot be covered up.

Casanova, Julián. The Spanish Republic and Civil War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511763137.