El Eternauta´s Wife
(La mujer de El Eternauta)
Adan Aliaga | Documentary
2011 | 82 minutes | Argentina, Spain
Elsa Sánchez's life is evidence of the cruelty of Argentina’s repressive dictatorship, which took the lives of her husband and family.
Synopsis
It has been fifty years since the adventures of Juan Salvo were first published in the science fiction comic El Eternauta. Some time in 1957, Argentine writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld created a highly metaphorical and political graphic novel. El Eternauta introduced a new way of understanding comic strips: it transcended the limits of mere escapism to become an adult and politically committed story. And to this day, the comic book continues to surprise thousands of readers and artists all over the world.
El Eternauta´s Wife follows Elsa Sánchez, Oesterheld’s widow. The daughter of immigrants from Galicia, her life is evidence of the cruelty of Argentina’s repressive dictatorship, which took the lives of her husband, their four daughters and their respective husbands. The presence of Oesterheld’s political inclinations in his work, which included a severe criticism against the social and political situation in Argentina, was the perfect excuse to start this story of brutality.
El Eternauta´s Wife is the story of a fight for survival in the mist of horror; A vital and close account where Elsa Sánchez shares her memories with the courage of real heroes; An example of a pacific fight against injustice and a testimony where pain and love for life went hand in hand until her passing, on June 22, 2015.
Reviews
“The splendid El Eternauta´s Wife showed how it is possible to talk about victims from Argentinian dictatorship without falling in victimhood, while claiming the mythical Argentinian comic El Eternauta as a great symbol of resistance against terror.” – Eulalia Iglesias , CAHIERS DU CINEMA SPAIN
“El Eternauta´s Wife is not a conventional documentary based on interviews. It has got a lyrical force that brings it near to author cinema.” – Mónica Bergós , LA VERDAD
Citation
Main credits
Aliaga, Adán (film director)
Aliaga, Adán (screenwriter)
Romeo, Luisa (film producer)
Sanchez de Oesterheld, Elsa (on-screen participant)
Cura, Verónica (film producer)
Ameixeiras, Diego (screenwriter)
Other credits
Cinematography, Pere Pueyo; music, Vincent Barrière.
Citation
Cataloging
Pragda subjects
Biography
Fascism + Repression
History
Human Rights
Latin American Studies
Literature
Political Science
Sociology
South America
Women
Keywords
Clips
Festivals
The Montréal World Film Festival
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia
Cineuropa Santiago de Compostela
Málaga Film Festival
Filmotech Online Film Festival
Nantes Film Festival
DIRECTOR: Adan Aliaga
NATIONALITY: Argentina, Spain
YEAR: 2011
GENRE: Documentary
LANGUAGE: Spanish
COLOR / B&W: Color
GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adults
SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE
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