05/09/2022 - VENICE 2022: It’s a dark, dark world in Fernando Guzzoni’s well-executed title. And it feels worryingly familiar

Blanquita (Laura López) is 18 now, but she looks younger than that. She has been hurt and abused, and is now trying to raise a child of her own. One of the invisible kids, the voiceless kids, suddenly she is voiceless no more – Blanquita becomes the key witness in a scandal that involves powerful, moneyed men whose “parties” ruined so many lives. She might destroy them or they might destroy her, who knows, and the public can’t wait to see the show.

Inspired by the true story of the Chilean “Spiniak case”, involving a child abuse ring, or probably way too many true stories, Fernando Guzzoni enters a relentlessly dark universe in Blanquita [+see also:
trailer
film profile], screening in Venice’s Orizzonti. It’s still engaging, however, although a longer format would probably have been an even better fit, allowing him to really dive into the mechanisms of it all, the politics and the power games that decide who will use and who will be used.

Blanquita is devoid of colour and seemingly also emotion, which makes perfect sense, actually – it’s harder to survive if you allow yourself to feel things. That’s what continuous trauma does to people: they shut down. But those who decide their fate want to see something else, tears and trusting faces. They want to love the victim, not feel uncomfortable. And so, it becomes a tale about the art of performing, about making sure others will hear what you say. Given some recent high-profile trials, where more attention was paid to how people expressed themselves and less to what they were actually saying, it’s really coming out at the right time.

When talking about his new documentary The Princess [+see also:
film review
film profile], about Diana, Ed Perkins said that many people used to compare her to a blank canvas, projecting onto her what they wanted to see. Guzzoni’s protagonist has a similar “gift” – she can transform into whatever is needed. It’s helpful because in this day and age, victims of abuse still need to think about what they wear when they decide to talk about their ordeal. People want to feel sorry for you, sure, but first make sure that you look the part.

It’s an interesting role, complex and difficult to pin down, and so is the whole movie, really. Everyone is hard to define, and everyone seems to be broken. No wonder – either you perpetuate violence yourself or you are constantly surrounded by it. Probably, there is just no escape.

So many titles dealing with similar subjects try to find some relief – here, it’s much more muted. But if Guzzoni offers one chance for a breather, it’s the fact that his well-executed film is not exactly explicit – you hear the stories and the details, but you don’t have to see them. It’s a smart move, as this way, it will simply be seen by more people. Even those who are afraid of darkness, which might really be the whole point.

Blanquita is a Chilean-Mexican-Luxembourgish-French-Polish film staged by Quijote Films, Varios Lobos, Tarantula Luxembourg, Bonne Pioche Cinema and Madants. Its international sales are managed by New Europe Film Sales.