“Being a woman is beautiful. But there is also an ugly side of it…”
Okay, first off, I’m male, so the stories in Antonella Sudasassi Furniss’s Memories of a Burning Body are not my stories. That doesn’t mean I cannot appreciate them, but I will not resonate with the stories as a woman might. I do like that I have been given this insight to the lives of the women whose stories are shared here. Memories of a Burning Body is Costa Rica’s submission for Oscar® consideration.
A title card at the beginning of the movie declares, “This film is the conversation I never had with my grandmothers.” We then hear various women telling the stories of their lives, especially about what it was like two generations back to grow up female in a conservative, Catholic, Central American environment. Meanwhile, onscreen, we see actors portraying the kinds of stories being spoken. The actors are a woman through various stages of her life. We get the sense that it while it is women’s stories, it is also Woman’s Story.
A good deal of what the women share with us has to do with sexual issues: menstruation, menopause, molestation, orgasm (or lack thereof), transition to married life, motherhood, spousal rape, domestic violence, and relationships as seniors.
As a male watching this film, I can recognize the oppression that patriarchy can represent. It’s possible that the Central American setting may be a part of that, but I also know that North American culture is not free of such attitudes and behavior.
Perhaps the hardest thing for me to connect (although I know the truth it represents) with was the guilt that is tied to victimhood. As one of the women put it, “They taught us we were guilty of so many things. They never taught us how to deal with that guilt.” She is talking about the way women are made to feel guilty over the actions of men toward them. As if they are at fault because a man molests them or rapes them or hits them. These women were socialized to accept the guilt that belonged to men. I fear that such socialization, while not as strong today, continues in many ways.
The film could be valuable for women to have a sense of being heard. It can also be valuable for men to hear what is being said.
Memories of a Burning Body is available on VOD.
Photos courtesy of Outsider Pictures.
