In the late 1990’s a new trend developed in the Latin American films, as there was a sharp shift from the political focus to small stories featuring the struggles of individuals in the society. Prior films exhibited scenes exploring random events and their impacts on the society using nihilistic individuals. ‘Days of Santiago,’ which is a film, directed by Josue Mendez and ‘The Whore and the Whale,’ directed by Luis Puenzo are two examples of contemporary films focusing on the lives of few specific individuals to portray the struggle of Latin Americans in the 1990’s. These two movies uncover emotional rawness and create several themes synonymous with the lives of the Latinos in America but only visible through the lives of the characters. Themes …show more content…
Santiago becomes so much isolated from the society to the point of wondering whether he is in the same country where he grew up as a child. The society has moved on from the conflicts, and the priorities are now different with the focus being on the fast growing urban economy. The Latinos no longer focus on their old problems according to this movie. They have isolated the people who focus on the past and hedonism is the new focus as everybody struggles to make a living in a fast-paced life in the now stable city. Santiago’s lazy brother is a perfect example of hedonistic character and someone who has no honor for morality. According to the brother, the focus is no longer, on who served the nation but on how to acquire wealth and live a stable and comfortable life. Latinos are facing entrapment in the past and find it had to reintegrate into the modern society. The old man farmer on the wheelchair commits suicide due to psychological trauma, as he too cannot integrate into the modern Lima society (Hjort and Scott, 90). It is a perfect example of entrapment common in Latin America. The morality of the people in Lima is questionable as the good and disciplined lack resources to survive, but the crafty and immoral live is a comfortable life. The situation is common in Latin America few individuals wield power while the real people who struggle for the same are suffering. In Cuba for instance, many veterans live in abject poverty while those who please the government of the day live in affluence. In Days of Santiago, through the life of Santiago, we can see several themes common among the Latinos such as isolation, entrapment, and