Reimagining the Sexual Subject: Feminist Politics and Visual Pleasure in Contemporary Argentine Cinema

The recent growing visibility of feminism in Argentina has led to transformative experiences at different levels of society, as evidenced in the Ni una menos (Not One Less) movement. In this political and cultural context, various cinematographic productions have emerged exploring female desire from an aesthetic and political perspective. By adopting a comparative study between Camila saldrá esta noche (Camila Comes Out Tonight, Inés Barrionuevo, 2021) and Las hijas del fuego (The Daughters of Fire, Albertina Carri, 2018), this chapter analyzes current discussions around the emergence of a new female sexuality, focusing on issues such as representation, agency, and activism. Despite their differences, as a realist drama and a feminist pornographic film—and building on the tradition of women Argentine filmmakers (i.e., María Luisa Bemberg and Lucrecia Martel)—both films reshape how female sexuality is cinematographically addressed. The section on Barrionuevo’s film examines the relationship between feminist activism and the individual ability to identify genuine desires. The following section argues that Carri's film challenges and reimagines pornographic conventions to create new forms of visual pleasure. This study is closely related to discussions on the political implications of sexuality and the necessity for new narratives and representations.