The Uncanny, Unsurmountable Beliefs and Post-revolutionary Mexico in Juan Bustillo Oro’s Dos monjes (1934)

 This article examines Juan Bustillo Oro’s 1934 film, Dos monjes (Two monks) to show how Mexico’s state-subsidized art crafted a careful balance between catering to a profoundly Catholic audience vis-à-vis a liberal government. This reading of Dos monjes is built upon one of Sigmund Freud’s signature notions: the uncanny, concept dating to at least 1919, and serves not only to nuance our understanding of Freud’s reception in Mexico, but also illustrates the contradictory political voices during the post-revolutionary period.