This book explores the approaches of how various directors re-accentuate the use of violence in Latin American cinema.

This book employs Bakhtin's theory of re-accentuation, applying it to the notion of violence in Latin American cinema; that is, the meaning(s) of violence changes and takes on new meanings depending on its context. The case studies in this collection illuminate a re-accentuation of the presentation of violence stemming from the early days of colonial suppression that is acted out in the present time due to the relaxation of oppression and the ability of the oppressed or scarred to express their pain through violent behavior.

The scholars in this book demonstrate that the use of violence, which sometimes may seem too explicit or exaggerated, is the specific language of the Latin American cinema. They show how Latin American film production has changed over the past 70 years and how its specific language-the language of violence-has changed as well. In doing so, they uncover the underlying motives hidden behind the lens, behind the unconventional format that every Latin American director offers to the viewers in order to dissect and criticize society while proposing change.

The essays do not aim to represent every Latin American country, but rather the most significant productions that have made an international acclaim, including: Madeinusa (Peru), Bacurau (Brazil), and La Mujer Sin Cabeza (Argentina), among others.

Slav N. Gratchev is Professor of Spanish at Marshall University, USA. He is the author or editor of eight books, including The Poetics of the Avant-garde in Literature, Arts, and Philosophy (2020).

Larry Sheret is Professor and Scholarly Communication and Open Educational Resources Librarian at Marshall University, USA.