The villero cinema of César González

Abstract

Abstract This article focuses on the cinema of César González, a filmmaker born and raised in a villa miseria (shantytown) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Thanks to digital film technology, González has been able to make his own films in and of the slums without external mediations. This article examines how his films can be thought of as a ‘line of flight’ or escape from the dominant representations of marginalized sectors of society. Using digital technology, in general, and long takes, more specifically, González creates cinematic experiences in which the villero (the slum dweller) becomes an open subject whose agency is reaffirmed.