Few films are as intricate and controversial in horror cinema as Trauma, a Chilean film written and directed by Lucio A. Rojas in 2017. This is one movie that does not shy away from being uncomfortable. Trauma is not for the casual viewer. Using horror as a genre device is one thing, but Trauma makes use of horror to explore deep national wounds. The film blends extreme violence with political violent undertones that make for a relentless and gut-wrenching experience, forcing the viewer to confront the horrors of medicine, history, and humanity.
Plot Summary
Taking place in rural Chile, Trauma highlights the story of four women—Andrea, Camila, Julia, and Magdalena—who take a break from busy Santiago to a secluded weekend trip to the countryside. Like every other holiday, their goals include resting, reconnecting, and enjoying the calm, at least until their plans are disrupted. The first part of the film briefly dives into this calm and shows us the women’s relationships and personalities.
The calm is pierced when two men, Juan and Mario, break into their home and terrorize the women on the premises. This incident does not mark the end of violence, but rather the beginning of a more sinister unravelling. As the women slowly try to heal, they set on the path to learn the shocking realities of their attackers and the systematic cycle of abuse that bred them.
Juan does not become a horror figure for simply being one. He is truly a product of a sanctioned evil after being brought up in the Chile that was governed by murderous military dictatorship. It is here that the movie shifts setting to 1970s where there was a good amount of political violence, torture, and even rape used. His mother, a victim to all this violence, had a son whose father was a soldier and perpetuated such evils with the regimes protective cloak around. Juan embodies the trauma of that era even though he is in modern day Chile and repeating the savage violence.
Supporting Roles and Classifications
Andrea (Catalina Martin) takes the lead as the indomitable warrior who does her best to safeguard her and her friends against the unfathomable horror they encounter. Her supplementary emotional journey gives the film an anchor as the resistance and the strength at its core.
Camila (Macarena Carrere) plays Andrea’s partner, from whom she derives emotional support and adds further nuance to the story. Their relationship becomes a source of strength and hope in the midst of chaos.
Julia (Ximena del Solar) and Magdalena (Dominga Bofill) comprise the rest of the group and each one of them undergoes the trauma in their own unique way. Their performances convey fear, rage, and powerful instinct in the most disturbingly realistic fashion.
Juan (Daniel Antivilo) serves as the deeply unsettling antagonist. What makes him terrifying is not only the violence he metaphorically personifies, but, also the contextual cruelty stemming from his history. He is both the victim and the monster. A decaying reality of a continually overbearing violence.
Mario (Felipe Ríos), Juan’s son, is equally a terrible stereotype of the same curse. So robotic in his emotionally retarded disposition, he embodies how violence and trauma are bred in the absence of confrontation, healing or reflection.
Direction and Cinematic Tone
Lucio A. Rojas is a skilled surgeon when it comes to crafting Trauma. He doesn’t shy away from depicting violence in its crude form, and Trauma is filled with scenes that are not only difficult but outright distressing to watch. What seems chaotic has a method—consuming violence that should terrify, or violence that seeks to expose in a way. Its brutality at the core represents the savagery inflicted during Chile’s dictatorship and the psychological devastation that continues to haunt its victims and society.’s horror The hidden horrors beneath it all More entire scope of violence that leads to trauma is surreal.
The emotions of the story are depicted through earthy and muted colors. The shadow of violence lurks around no matter how far the characters in the film attempt to escape, leading to a feeling of claustrophobia in the expansive rural settings. The cinematography captures somber long painfuls takes that do not hesitate to bring suffering. Overwhelmed by misery, a viewer is forced to face rather than evade.
The film’s soundtrack primarily contains silent moments, and lets tension build up, turning every scream and sob into a focal point. The film strips away everything else, making every silences deafening for the audience. These moments of tension become even more intense from the terrifying images when they do arrive.
Themes and Symbolism
At its very core, Trauma represents cycles of violence, abuse, and silence. The title does not only refer to the horrible experiences of the protagonists but also includes trauma that is agony and has been retained throughout history. The brutal Chilean military dictatorship is mandatorily critiqued, and is said to have rotted the roots of society by birthing future monsters even after the regime fell.
The violation of women becomes more than an act of violence; it becomes the violation of a nation and mirrors the rest of the world trying to move forward without coming to terms with their untreated past. Juan and Mario represent far more than a supernatural force or unremarkable slasher villains; they are the embodiment of a historical wound.
Rojas defines women by their power as the unifying and resilient force. Despite suffering, the Protagonist refuses to accept victimization. The fight to survive becomes a fight for justice, not for their pain, but for the pain of history’s forgotten and ignored victims.
Reception and Impact
Trauma has often been polarizing for audiences and critics alike. Some consider it a brutally honest depiction of horrific history, serving as a stark warning that evil is sometimes not ancient or fictional, but is created by humanity and its systems. Others condemn it as overly graphic and emotionally manipulative, questioning if it indulges in the violence to a point where it becomes hysterically exploitative.
Regardless of one’s stance, Trauma is effective in elicting emotions. It calls for attention, reflection, and triggers discourse. In a genre that is often filled with ghosts, vampires, and masked murderers, it takes the leap of showcasing the human view of evil and not just the abstract forms.
Conclusion
Trauma cannot be understood as entertainment in the guiding light of the term—it is in itself a confrontation. It is a scream against silence, depicting the systemic abuse which reminds one of the horror that does not need the cloak of fiction to be frightening. Lucio A. Rojas has crafted a film that blends politics and psychology seamlessly, strikingly compelling the audiences with the effects of dormant trauma. For those bold enough to endure the emotional heaviness of the film, Trauma is one of the most poignant and sobering experiences modern horror cinema has to offer.
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