Review of The Sleeping Voice

La Voz Dormida was directed by Benito Zambrano and released in Spain on October 21st, 2011. It is the story of Hortensia, a pregnant woman who was imprisoned for her involvement in the guerrilla warfare occurring at the time, and her sister Pepita, who comes to Madrid from Cordoba in order to help her sister. Despite not wanting to be involved in political affairs, Pepita is told to bring documents to Paulino, who is working with Hortensia's husband Felipe. She does so, and eventually ends up falling in love with Paulino after meeting with him several times. Paulino and Felipe are later detained by the police, who then arrest Pepita because they believe she knows them and can lead them to the infamous "Chaqueta Negra," who is really Paulino. They interrogate and torture her in front of Paulino and Felipe before imprisoning her, where she is later released by her employer's father, who is a general in Franco's army. She continues to visit the prison to see Hortensia, who eventually gives birth to her daughter, up until she finds out her sister has been executed. The film ends with Hortensia's daughter being given to Pepita, who tells the audience how Pepita and Paulino's romance turns out. The story takes place in Madrid after the Spanish Civil War, between the years of 1939 and 1963. During this time, Francisco Franco is in power, after his coup d'état in 1936, which resulted in the civil war between the fascists (supported by the right and the church) and the republicans (who were supported by socialists and communists). The movie portrays the injustice prisoners faced while in prison, including taking advantage of the illiteracy of many of the prisoners to force them to sign documents, without allowing those who knew how to read to look over them, and taking newborn babies away from their mothers shortly after birth, and taking poor care of the sick and injured prisoners. The message transmitted in the movie is very powerful, as its purpose is to highlight the mistreatment women faced during these postwar times, and to encourage conversation about it. It does a really good job of transmitting emotions through the various characters, making the audience empathize with them. Despite portraying many of the people who worked for Franco's regime as monsters, it shows that some people worked for Franco out of fear, and those people emphasized with the imprisoned women (such as the woman who allowed Hortensia to see her daughter in her final moments, and brought the child to Pepita once Hortensia had been executed). The movie evokes more than sadness through Pepita and Paulino's love story; although they were only able to see each other a few times, their love is strong, and helps Pepita get through a lot of the struggles she faces. Furthermore, Pepita's romance with Paulino, along with the situation she faces while trying to save her sister from execution, cause her character to change dramatically, from a naïve girl who didn't want any part in politics to a strong woman who would do anything to protect those she loves. The music at times exemplifies the strong emotions felt by the audience, but also makes the plot lighter in tone at times. Furthermore, the original song, "Nana de la hierbabuena," does a fantastic job of conveying Hortensia's love for Pepita and later her daughter. In my opinion, this movie is a must-see for anyone willing to gain an understanding of the sociopolitical climate in Spain after the Civil War. Although it is, without a doubt, romanticized at parts and some people may say it's just another movie about the postwar climate, I think the use of music and emotion was done very well, and it made me want to learn even more about social conditions under Franco's rule, and other nations who faced similar dictatorships. Like they say in the movie, the events that transpired never should have happened, and this movie made me wanted to ensure it never happened again.