El cine como herramienta de crítica social

Abstract

This research examines Latin American cinema as a symbolic mediation device oriented toward social criticism. Through a qualitative, interpretive-descriptive approach, the study analyzed a corpus comprising Fresa y Chocolate, La historia oficial, City of God, and The Rose Seller, applying a cinematographic analysis matrix that integrated structural issues, character construction, formal resources, and ideological discourses. The findings demonstrate that these productions transcend entertainment to function as spaces of cultural contestation, where realist aesthetics and the humanization of marginalized subjects denaturalize systemic violence and historical exclusion. By avoiding closed narrative resolutions, the films ethically interpellate viewers, fostering active decoding and collective awareness. It is concluded that regional cinema not only reflects social tensions but operates as a pedagogical and transformative tool, whose sustainability relies on strengthening cultural policies that safeguard its critical autonomy against transnational commercial circuits.