Transnational History in Jauja, The Revenant, Crimson Peak, Mysteries of Lisbon, Lines of Wellington

What is it about?

Films with historical settings may use different genre conventions and aesthetic strategies to reshape audience's relationships to the histories of places and peoples. Through examining some of these conventions and strategies in five 21st century historical films by Latin American directors, this article traces some of cinema's capacity to shift from a national to transnationally entangled thinking about historical processes and historical responsibility.

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Photo by Boston Public Library on Unsplash

Photo by Boston Public Library on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Many films with historical settings have reinforced ideas of national identity and a people's shared past. However, some historical films present a different perspective on the past, one which assumes cultural, political and economic transnational interconnectedness. This perspective helps shift popularly held ideas of the origins and significance of the nation-state as a category.