How Martel portrays the decay and stagnation of the bourgeois social order in Salta
Lucrecia Martel, in her film La Cienaga, portrays a state of decay and stagnation in Salta, Argentina. Through the main character, Mecha, the society of Salta manifests as a town that lacks morals and correct parenthood roles. Mecha’s family is a bourgeois class; it is struggling to streamline various issues as a family unit. Unfortunately, efforts seem to be futile as the family turns disorganized and disunited. The family resorts to a crumbling vacation home that is followed by a series of unpleasing events, showing recklessness on the bourgeois family. During vacation, Mecha slips and falls on the floor, cutting herself with a broken wine glass. Unfortunately, the majority of people in the compound do not seem to care. It takes the efforts of her daughter to make a call for hospital care. Such a scene shows minimal unity within the family. The family is in dire need of love and caring to stabilize again.
The bourgeois social order in Salta is stagnated by resigned parents’ attitudes towards responsible parenthood. The family lacks unity, and it does reason together for solutions. Mecha continues with a drinking spree despite her shaky recuperation. The husband does not bother to care about her condition and continues to drink. People indulge in adultery without limit during the vacation, while Mecha is not worried about the extent her children should be exposed. Such is a failure on the bourgeois social order in Salta.
Mecha and her cousin Tali showcase irresponsible parenthood. Mecha uncontrollably drinks herself; she does not care about the plight of her children. Despite her daughter stepping in to help her when she fell, she quickly forgets such gestures and continues drinking while complaining about services offered to her at the hotel. Tali undeniably shows the same behaviors as Tali. She does not keep close track of her young boys. The boys roam viciously; they go hunting in the wild swam and killed cattle stuck in the mud. One of Tali’s sons is missing an eye; the other one needs to be taken to the dentist. The child later cuts his legs and suffers the pain, and they feel no pacification in their parents because the parents have never cared much for them.
La cienaga film also portrays decay and stagnation of the town from the appearance of the vacation house. The swimming pool is dirty with substances, the rooms are poorly maintained, and the compound is attractive. Furthermore, Martel displays the ungrateful nature of Mecha’s family. Mecha complains, when Isabel, the hotel attendant, brings her towels to wipe the blood off. She instead labels Isabel as a thief by making a sarcastic remark, “so that’s where the towels went.” Such an attitude shows the ungrateful nature of Mecha and translates to her family. Conversation between Mecha and Tali to drive to Bolivia for back-to-school supplies shows that Argentina had fallen from heights. It indicates the economic stagnation of the families. They cannot afford to buy the supplies from within because of hefty prices. Instead, they opt for Bolivia for cheaper deals.
The film La cienaga, therefore, presents struggling families who do not accept their current financial stagnation instead of struggles to prove their status. Mecha and her husband enjoy a drinking spree while showing little attention to children. Tali and her four children manifest the same attitude. Love is crumbled and replaced by daily growing tension, which is the new bourgeois social order in Salta.
Works Cited
Lange-Churión, Pedro. “The Salta Trilogy: The Civilised Barbarism in Lucrecia Martel’s Films.” Contemporary Theatre Review 22.4 (2012): 467-484.
https://drive.google.com/a/montclair.edu/file/d/1VTONQxAxKPK-qcAq2U2OdipW_mZLsJVB/view?usp=drivesdk