Misael Saavedra in La libertad: The Work of Gestures

Abstract

Part II offers sustained close analysis of nonprofessional performances in three important films made after the turn of the century. Rather than comparing different performances, the main aim of this part of the book is to explore changes and variations across individual performances. Overall, Part II argues that, while different, the three films discussed use changes in the performances to test and reconfigure the status of the character/performer throughout the film. The instances of close analysis offered in the three chapters seek to demonstrate why it matters for the films that we, as viewers, register these changes.

The film analysed in Chap. 5 is La libertad/Freedom (Lisandro Alonso, 2001), a particularly observational and minimalist piece the plot of which can be summarised as a day in the life of Misael (Misael Saavedra), an axeman who lives and works in isolation in the woodlands of La Pampa, Argentina. The chapter situates La libertad as part of a historical tradition of films where nonprofessional actors are cast for their expertise performing manual labour. Through sustained close analysis of the relationship between performance and non-performance elements in the film, Chap. 5 argues that the nonprofessional actor’s gestures and actions inform the filmmaking style (editing, framing, camera movements) and, in doing so, contribute to the film’s progressive discovery of its aesthetic programme. This analysis is important as it explores significant contributions nonprofessional performance can make beyond characterisation.