Juarez and Beyond

“In this worldview, women are forever being acted upon; rarely are they seen to be actors” (Enloe 497). Señorita Extraviada by Portillo is a documentary about the Juarez femicides that examines the mysteries surrounding the deaths of hundreds of women and the reactions of the community. Portillo’s film techniques give a voice to the community members, especially the women, and allow others to see them as “actors” rather than merely “acted upon.”

First and foremost, the interviews in Señorita Extraviada are very personal and tell the majority of the story. Throughout the film there is some narration, but the interviews are what really provide the narrative. For example, many questions are raised in the film (Who is responsible for the murders? Why haven’t they been solved?) but no answers are given by the narrator; in fact, the narrator often raises more questions. The viewer relies on the interviewees for answers and facts, and, as the narrator states, begins to trust no one except the families of the victims. The effect is that the victims are given as much of a voice as possible although they are no longer with us. Many of the people interviewed are women, and the film gives them a voice as well. Enloe warns, “It can be seen like one more attempt by privileged outsiders—women and men—to dilute their political efforts” (497). However, Portillo’s film lets the community speak on camera and actually magnifies their political efforts by circulating this information worldwide.

The non-diegetic sound in the film—the narrator and the music—also play an important part in shaping the viewer’s experience. The narrator helps transition from story to story and provides brief background information. In this way, the women of Juarez are “allowed to define the problem” (Enloe 497). The somber and haunting music is usually played when the story slows down and the viewer is able to reflect on the vast amount of information just presented. It also gives the film a serious and heavy tone, demonstrating that the subject matter is not to be taken lightly.

Much of the documentary discusses the maquiladoras in which many women of Juarez work. This is what Enloe talks about when she writes, “Corporate executives and development technocrats need some women to depend on cash wages; they need some women to see a factory or plantation job as a means of delaying marriage or fulfilling daughterly obligations” (497-498). Furthermore, women often go missing during the bus transportation to and from the maquiladoras. This exhibits another aspect of Enloe’s article. “If fathers, brothers, husbands didn’t gain some privilege, however small in global terms, from women’s acquiescence to those confining notions of femininity, it might be much harder for the foreign executives and their local elite allies to recruit the cheap labor they desire” (Enloe 498). These murders are a means of control as are the maquiladora operations. If women live in fear, they will be more likely to acquiesce to men, giving the men more privilege. However, it appears from the interviews that even some women are involved in these murders just as “some women’s class aspirations and their racist fears lured them into the role of controlling other women for the sake of imperial rule” (Enloe 497).



The Juarez femicides started as a local issue, but, due to the efforts of community organizers, have become more internationally known, although still not widespread enough in proportion to the seriousness of the situation. This touches on Enloe’s article and our Community Action Project about globalization and international women. “If women are asked to join an international campaign… but are not allowed to define the problem, it looks to many locally engaged women like abstract do-gooding with minimal connection to the battles for a decent life in their households and in their communities” (Enloe 497). When horrifying things like the Juarez femicides are happening locally to women, it would be detrimental to the global feminist movement to step in and tell these women what issues are important. We must work with women all over the world to bring these local problems to the forefront, like Portillo has done with this film, because these are the issues that are ultimately important internationally.



-Erica