Memorias trastornadas

Abstract

The document offers a critical reflection on the representations of madness and psychological suffering in cinema, particularly from a Latin American perspective. Through the analysis of various films, it argues that cinema not only reflects the social and historical conditions surrounding mental illness but also actively contributes to the construction of its meanings. The work explores how cinematic narratives produce, distort, or subvert collective memories related to violence, trauma, and psychiatric institutionalization, focusing on how these representations shape society’s perception of the "mad" or "abnormal" individual. Furthermore, the document suggests that these disturbed memories should not be understood merely as errors or distortions, but rather as symbolic constructions that respond to specific cultural, political, and emotional contexts. In this light, cinema is seen as a medium of resistance, capable of revealing alternative forms of subjectivity and social critique. The paper invites a rethinking of madness, not through the dominant clinical paradigm, but from a critical perspective that is sensitive to silenced narratives and the experiences of those historically marginalized by official discourses on mental health.