You are here:

The Girlfriend

Name: The Girlfriend
Director: Jeanine Meerapfel
Released: 1989
Duration: 110 min

Representation Score

6.5/10

Good

1989

Director

Jeanine Meerapfel

Runtime

110 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Jeanine Meerapfel’s drama is a sophisticated exploration of state-sponsored violence through the lens of female solidarity. By focusing on the friendship between Raquel and Maria, the film delves into how political upheaval disrupts both professional and domestic lives. The film excels at portraying women as active resisters rather than passive victims. Through political risk-taking and grassroots investigation, the characters challenge the oppressive structures of the Argentine military junta. While the film offers a deep critique of institutional corruption and nationalistic myths, it lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or disability. It remains a focused study of gendered resistance and sociopolitical trauma.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does The Girlfriend have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film highlights the friendship between two women but does not depict same-sex relationships or non-straight identities.

How does The Girlfriend portray gender?

Excellent

The story centers on women's empowerment by contrasting their professional lives with domestic roles. Both characters evolve from potential victims into active resisters against a military junta.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Girlfriend?

Good

Set in Argentina, the film examines how authoritarian regimes target specific social groups through the concept of the 'disappeared'.

How does The Girlfriend represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative challenges nationalistic myths and portrays state institutions as corrupt. It emphasizes grassroots collective action over traditional legal or religious structures.

Does The Girlfriend include disability representation?

Minimal

The available information does not mention characters navigating physical, sensory, or neurodivergent disabilities.

Present on Screen

Strong portrayal of women's empowerment and resistance against patriarchal state violence.
Effective use of personal friendship to critique systemic and institutional corruption.
Nuanced exploration of how political instability affects both professional and domestic spheres.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
No visible focus on characters navigating physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Since childhood, Raquel and Maria have been close friends. Now all grown-up, Raquel has fulfilled her dream of becoming an actress, while Maria has married a handyman, given birth to three children and runs the family household. In the wake of the Argentine military coup of 1976, Maria's oldest son Carlos is abducted. Desperate, Maria turns to her prominent friend for help. Yet the more Raquel gets involved in the search for Carlos, the more she becomes herself a target of the junta. Finally, she flees from Argentina to Berlin. Meanwhile Maria joins a group of women who investigate the fate of their disappeared relatives. In 1983, after the fall of the dictatorship, the two friends meet again.

How are these scores produced? →