Curator and director Guido Segal, who grew up in Argentina and currently lives in Los Angeles, initially reflects on a technique for repairing old dolls. Soon however, a dark undertone enters the narrative as spectres from the past appear. Once hidden in the furthest corners of the house, they now reappear at the forefront of the miniature collection.
In terms of his motivation for making his film, Segal reflected: "A person close to me showed me that he had bought a collection of dolls. Seeing that they were broken left a deep impression on me. There was something macabre about them, for they were representations of World War II leaders. I was fascinated by the idea that something perverse can, at the same time, be beautiful. It was by exploring this contradiction that the narrative emerged."
In his film, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Franco, and Stalin stand side by side with the Argentinian actors Susana Pampín, Carla Crespo, Patricio Aramburu, and Phillipe Lecuyer—provoking complex reflections on the coexistence of normality and perversion. A psychoanalytic narrative that draws on historical experience.
Text: Bernd Buder
Supporting film for MOST PEOPLE DIE ON SUNDAYS (Iair Said, AR, IT, ES 2024, 73 min)
