Camila

Camila is an extremely powerful film that showed how far love can take people while also showing various political aspects throughout the film. The film showed very well what kind of harsh governments have been in control of South American nations and more specifically Argentina with the rule of Juan Manuel de Rosas. Towards the end of the film, when the couple is assigned their death punishment, it really showed how far these dictators were allowed to take their power. The grip they had on their respective populaces was extremely strong and sometimes brutal.

The relationship and love between the young couple of Camila and Ladislao represents what a large number of young Latin American people have gone through for centuries. The piety of Latin American people is extreme and the amount of effort they spend towards religion simply dwarfs what you see in the United States. That said, the lengths this couple went to in order to be together is simply staggering. Ladislao would face both rejection of his peers and even eternal damnation by starting a relationship with the young girl, however it wasn’t enough for the relationship not to endure. He does everything from avoiding her to even hurting himself in order to wish away his feelings, but nothing works. The film shows how difficult it can be in making a choice between true love and piety. Countless priests throughout South American had to make this decision and the consequences that came from it. The couple will ultimately decide their love is worth dying for and face their fate together.

Camila was produced during a very trying period of Argentina’s history. With the new democratic government replacing the military dictatorship, Camila was a testament to the evils of military dictatorships. The film was defiantly produced with the intention of supporting the new democratic government in Argentina and did a very good job with it. The film showed the evils of authoritarian government including censorship and the lengths they will go to in order to contain any opposition to their authority. The repression imposed by these military dictatorships are extreme and the film shows this very well.

Another point the film brought across was how elitist families from the period operated. This point was brought across in brutal fashion when the father asked for his own daughters blood. To be shamed publically was the worst thing for an elitist in Argentina society. Power and fame meant everything in an Argentina aristocracy, and when Camila brought shame on her family there was no turning back. Instead of using his influence and allowing Camila to be confined to house arrest, he chooses to allow his daughter to be executed. This shows the extreme levels elitists will go to in aristocratic dictatorships.