Señorita Extraviada

For my first longer-winded post, I figured I should offer a bit of context. This semester (Fall 2020) I had the privilege of taking an honors seminar at UC titled Crime, Deviance, and Media in Latin America. For our final project, we are to post at least six blog posts about a selected subject from our coursework. The focus of my posts will be on gender-based violence in Latin America. By viewing films, reading articles, and additional resources, I will be analyzing the representation of gender-based violence in Latin American media. Are these resources accurate to what goes on in the real world? Or are they glorifications made for entertainment?

Señorita Extraviada is a documentary film by Mexican filmmaker Lourdes Portillo. Filmed between 1999 and 2000, and released in 2001, the film chronicles the bouts of terror reigning upon Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Since the early 90’s many young women have gone missing and turned up dead in the deserts of Juárez. The documentary details the killings, and gives insight into the lives of the families who have lost a daughter, a mother, or a relative. 

Many other documentaries surrounding Juárez portray the gruesome, gory details of the murders, and focus mostly on who the culprits are and what their motives could be. Instead of following in the footsteps of other documentaries, Portillo decided to focus on the families that have lost loved ones. This new perspective and look into the lives of those who are grieving brings a more human feel to the viewing experience, and also allows for the situation to have more gravity. It seems that often times, when discussing a subject as touchy as murder, people seem to forget that innocent women are losing their lives daily to this horror. Señorita Extraviada does a phenomenal job at letting reality sink in. 

This film accomplishes a lot in its short hour and sixteen minute runtime. Not only does it go into detail regarding the government’s actions to counteract the murders, but it details horrific sexual assaults, kidnappings, and stories of grief. Some women did make it out alive. They described their assaults, the threats they had faced, and discussed how they still fear for their lives. What hits home the most for many viewers, though, are the accounts of grief. These families who have lost their daughters, their mothers, or their loved ones, brings more gravity and reality to the issue. These accounts are what set this documentary apart from the others. There is no “victim blaming”. There are only families who are grieving for those they love. 

This is a very raw look into the reality of femicide. Women move to Juárez to work; to make money for their families, and are nearly immediately targeted because of their gender. Portillo’s focus on how murder affects those adjacent to it further strengthens the credibility and authenticity of this documentary. These acts of violence have been taking place in Juárez since 1993, and still go on to this day. Señorita Extraviada gives extraordinary insight into the reality of what has happened in Ciudad Juárez, and its unique perspective sets it apart from other documentaries of the like.