Invisible Presences: The Aesthetics of Damián Sainz in Batería

Abstract

Batería (2016) is a short documentary movie that tells the story of a "secret" place—an old military fort located on the outskirts of Havana—where gay men meet for clandestine sexual encounters. The nuance of the documentary is the stylistic ability of director Damián Sainz to construct through the stories told via voice-off of the protagonists to ensure the anonymity of the participants. In that apparent fragility of the narrative, Sainz builds up a solid filmic foundation. The result is Batería, a visual documentary full of an abandoned place, graffiti, murals, sounds, and invisible presences.