Essay Questions

What are some examples of the use of dark comedy in the movie?

The movie is a dark comedy, meaning that it shows unsettling or taboo topics in a comedic way. One such topic is the topic of pedophilia. Gloria’s younger son Miguel and his desire to make money is clearly taken advantage of by older men. The scenes showing this topic are uncomfortably comedic, for example the dentist, who is a grotesque caricature of the topic, with his mannerisms and facial expressions.

How does Gloria differ from the other characters in the movie?

Gloria is the focal point of the movie, but in contrast to that, she is very little taken into consideration by the rest of the characters, predominantly her family she provides for. This creates and intimate relationship with the viewer and Gloria, viewers can empathize and understand her frustration, her slow decline and abuse of antidepressants.

How does the movie portray women?

The movie is in the first place concerned with women, the struggles and frustrations of being one. It shows Gloria as a character trapped with a husband who expects her to follow the traditional obligations of a wife while also providing for the family. He expects her to follow those rules while he doesn’t apply the same for himself, emotionally and psychologically abusing her. The scene in the movie when Gloria confesses to the detective that she killed her husband shows the frustration: her words are ignored as words of a mentally distorted woman. The characters of Juani and her daughter shows the generational abuse and mother-daughter contempt: the mother endured the same abuse, so she passes it down to her daughter, expecting her to endure the same abuse she did. The movie generates a close view into the female state with feminist messages, but ends on a pessimistic note, implying that there is a long way to go for them to be free.