Camila: O Símbolo de uma Mulher Apaixonada

During the 1800s in Argentina, an oppressive dictator named Rosas rules the country with an iron fist. Everyone must wear a red ribbon to show their loyalty to the man while certain books are banned, among other decrees. A beautiful young lady named Camila has been born into a wealthy family. She is free-spirited and finds the dictators rules are oppressive. Secretly, she borrows risque books from the shopkeeper. By chance, her parish gets a new priest named Ladislao, quite handsome and dedicated. It's almost love at first sight, with the priest trying everything to avoid his feelings. Even when the book seller is executed for circulating banned books, Camila is undeterred. Therefore, the couple secretly elopes and moves to a rural area far from Buenos Aires. But, Rosas orders his soldiers to find them. Will they be discovered? This gorgeous film has sumptuous sets, costumes, and photography. The two stars are incredibly handsome and touching while the horrors of dictatorship are made manifest. Even if you dislike subtitles you won't want to miss Camila. Just have a bucket handy for your tears.

I would recommend this movie for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, it gives a clear impression of what life was like in Argentina at this time. The power that the government, Rosas, had over the people is mind boggling. The fact that a father could be brainwashed enough to choose the government over the life of his own daughter is sickening! This just illustrates the power and backwardness of Rosas' dictatorship. I also enjoyed this movie for the romantic aspect of the story. It kept you in suspense, while you routed for the couple's escape to happiness. The moving ending of the film leaves you with much to think about.

In 1982, the Argentine military government seized the Falkland Islands, also known as Las Islas Malvinas, from the British. The British deployed combat forces to the South Atlantic and recaptured the territory in a war that lasted ten and a half weeks. This led to the downfall of the Argentine military junta and a reversion to democracy, establishing conditions which in 1984 brought to the screen a true story that had been suppressed by political, religious, and/or cultural forces for nearly fourteen decades. It is one of the most popular movies in the history of Argentina, from among those produced by that nation.

Camila refers to Camila O'Gorman, and opens very briefly in her childhood with the arrival at her family's ranch of a stagecoach bearing her grandmother, who is to be placed under house arrest. Camila's father fully consents to the arrangement, siding with the authorities rather than with his mother, who is on the wrong side of contemporary political affairs. The opening then shifts forward to Buenos Aires, 1847. Camila, now a young woman of about 19, is closeted with and huddled over some newborn kittens she knows will earn her father's disapproval if he discovers them. In the late 1840s, Argentina is under the control of a dictator, General Rosas, and the federals. The unitarians, some in exile and others trying to stay under the radar (as it were), are the latent opposition.

The plot can be summarized simply: A socialite daughter from a wealthy family falls in love with a (celibate) Jesuit priest. It is not only taboo in a Catholic society, but is taboo in a Catholic society at the wrong place and the wrong time, and neither the federals nor the unitarians contribute positively to the outcome. As the kittens meet their fate and the opening credits conclude, we view a statement dedicating the movie: "In memory of Camila O'Gorman…." History, and director Maria Luisa Bemberg, are serious about the advisory, so be forewarned, and be aware also that the movie has an R rating. The film coloring is memorable, and Susu Pecoraro in the lead actress role gives a strong performance.

"Camila" is a love story set in Colonial Argentina. Camila is a young woman hungry for change and knowledge of the unknown. She meets Ladislao, a young priest whom with she immediately falls in love with. The two decide to escape in order to fulfill their desire for each other. They settle in a remote village but still must face the consequences of their decision. Directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg, "Camila" tells the story of a passionate woman who will fight for what she desires and is willing to sacrifice everything for it. The film is true to the times in which it is based and true to the characters it is based on. Rosas, the dictator at the time, is portrayed in a way that is also true to history. The director Bemberg is also a passionate woman and filmmaker who struggled with censorship in the making of this film, but prevailed. Although it is based on real people, some of the characters are shaped in order to benefit the ideals of the director, but a good film nonetheless. I also recommend "I, the Worst of All" by the same director.

A former friend of mine, who was very much into foreign films, "accidentally" rented this movie for both of us to watch after the dissolution of my relationship with a Jesuit, in 1999. Perhaps she was trying to assure me that I was better off now, because I would not be shot by a firing squad for having slept with a priest? Never mind that I was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and was suffering through nightmares of Jesuits trying to murder me and make it look like suicide. After watching this movie, I was left numb and freaked-out by the residual irrational feeling that Camila might have been me in a former life?

Nine years later, I'm more able to assess the movie apart from my own experience of the Catholic priesthood and its extremely misogynistic tendencies. I admire Camila for having had a strong mind and will of her own, but I would tell her or any other woman involved with a priest that these men just aren't worth our sacrifice of self for their sakes, much less martyrdom.