Uncovering the Harsh Reality of Missing Persons
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The deep wound of the many disappeared individuals in Latin America continues to haunt regions like Mexico and Colombia, causing decades of pain. At the 97th Academy Awards, two films shed light on this trauma: the Brazilian movie “Ainda Estou Aqui” (“I’m Still Here”), depicting the family struggle of a leftist former congressman who vanished during the military dictatorship in 1971, and the musical “Emilia Pérez,” which follows a fictional Mexican drug lord who transitions to a transgender woman and searches for missing persons in Mexico.
“We aim to raise awareness in society through these films,” stated activist Indira Navarro, who leads the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco collective in Mexico while seeking her own missing brother in Sonora for the past nine years. The Oscars’ recognition of these films, both nominated in multiple categories, provided a crucial platform to highlight the issue, according to Navarro.
Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” won the Oscar for best international film, while Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” led in nominations and secured wins for best original song and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña. Both films underscored the prevailing impunity surrounding disappearances in Latin America.
The narrative of “I’m Still Here” drew inspiration from Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s book, recounting the story of his father, the disappeared former congressman Rubens Paiva, who was taken from his home in Rio de Janeiro over fifty years ago. Despite their tireless efforts, Paiva’s family has not seen justice served, reflecting the broader issue of impunity within the region’s history of disappearances.
In “Emilia Pérez,” the character Manitas del Monte (portrayed by Karla Sofia Gascón), a former drug trafficker, embarks on a quest to find missing persons alongside lawyer Rita Castro (Saldaña). However, like in real-life Mexico, accountability for these disappearances remains elusive, with an official count of 123,147 missing persons and minimal progress in prosecuting cases, as highlighted by the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
The films by Salles and Audiard serve as poignant reminders of the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in Latin America, emphasizing the critical need for addressing the widespread issue of disappearances in the region.
The committee stated that the issue of disappearances in Mexico first emerged in the 1960s, but it reached alarming levels starting from the 2000s due to the surge in drug trafficking operations and the government’s crackdown on cartels during the administration of then-President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). In Mexico, the daunting task of searching for the missing falls primarily on the shoulders of their family members. These individuals, equipped with limited resources and lacking protection from the authorities, bravely venture into regions controlled by criminal elements in a relentless pursuit to find their beloved ones.
One such individual is Navarro, who shared her harrowing experience on Monday while excavating a burial site in the western state of Jalisco alongside fellow activists. She expressed her hope that the attention garnered by the Oscars will serve as a global awakening to the harsh reality faced by many in Mexico. This plea for awareness aims to shed light on the profound challenges and injustices endured by those impacted by disappearances in the country.
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