Directed by Doug Anderson and Vickie Curtis, when 41 girls are killed in a Guatemalan ‘Safe Home’ and no one is held accountable, two young sisters lead a luminous rebellion. They take to the streets using art, joy and performance to unite their community against gender violence.
Straight away, it’s genuinely impressive how much youthfulness Doug Anderson and Vickie Curtis inject Comparsa with to reflect its subjects, given the harrowing nature of the subject matter. To balance those two things, and to do so in a way that’s sensitive and respectful, is incredibly difficult but Anderson and Curtis make it seem effortless. The style of the documentary is perfectly in tune with the women it follows, it captures their unbreakable spirit, as well as their trauma and fears.
Those choices allow Comparsa to then flow smoothly through the different topics, from the heaviest to the inspirational. Femicide and violence against women is something that’s sadly universally experienced but is starkly intensified in places like Guatemala. Hearing the details of, what is clearly mass murder, as a home for young girls was burned down as they protested against their mistreatment is horrific. To then add to that the daily threat that they face simply walking down the street with many women abducted and attacked, they cannot escape that reality of violence.
It’s deeply saddening that not only does that force these young women to be far more aware than anyone their age should have to be, there’s also a whole patriarchal culture stealing their childhoods. Comparsa strongly portrays the countless obstacles that these young women face on a daily basis, and it also intensely portrays their resilience. Their emotional maturity and intelligence are remarkable, they turn that pain and suffering into a movement to try and change their society for the better, and to protect women.
One of the other elements which Anderson and Curtis capture well is how that movement and their organisation are not simply about protest, it’s a healing space for them. Somewhere to grieve the loss of their friends, and members of the community. It also gives them a place where they can see their value, when they’re undermined even in their own homes. They capture the importance of that support and encouragement to explore their potential and not be beaten down by the outside world.
Comparsa can be at times horrifying and at others beautiful. Doug Anderson and Vickie Curtis capture both how these women live in a society that neither protects them nor respects them, and how they fight back. Within its story is a lot of pain and violence, which would be enough to shatter anyone several decades older than these women, let alone someone so young and yet they turn that suffering into protest. It’s inspiring to watch them support one another and try to spread awareness and change the perspective, so that more innocent lives are not lost. It’s an absolutely vital topic and the filmmakers truly do it justice.
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