Deserting Heterosexuality. Embrujada and Isabel Sarli as a war machine

Abstract

This article analyzes the figure the character of Isabel Sarli based on the idea of desertion from the heterosexual regime. To do so, the starting point is the film Embrujada (1969), that establishes connections with other areas of her cinema. The goal is to see in those, the production of the domestic woman in capitalism, modernity, and Western society in tension with myths, beliefs, and cultures that generate other temporalities, pre-modern, pre-capitalist, or pre-industrial. That way, a questioning of family and motherhood can be seen, intertwined with contradictory moral messages. Embrujada and other contemporary films articulate characters of strong, aggressive, and deviant women who challenge traditional masculinity, leading to the emasculation of patriarchal and capitalist power. Thus, certain elements of her cinema contribute to the creation of the Sarli myth, enabling twisted interpretations and sex- dissident resignifications.