Reaction to Death and the Maiden

Dorfman's play Death and the Maiden takes place in a South American country after the end of the dictatorship. Paulina is a survivor of torture, and she is clearly not over her turmoil, as can be seen in the way she reacts a a car coming to her house late at night. Because of this, it is hard to tell whether Paulina is correct in thinking that Roberto is guilty or if she is simply crazy and accusing an innocent man. In the film, however, Roberto definitely seems to act guilty. Even though he stays mostly the same lines as are in the play, the actor says them in a way that makes him seem guilty. The endings of the two versions are different as well -- in the play, the reader does not know if Roberto is alive or dead, but in the film he is definitely alive and gives a true confession of his guilt.

I liked the play better than the film version. I liked the ambiguity in the play about Roberto's guilt because that showed how difficult it would be to convict the people who performed the tortures because it would be so hard to prove their guilt. I also thought the film dragged the play out too much. While I thought the play could have been shortened, it did not bother me because I was able to read through it quickly. With the film, however, I was a captive audience, unable to speed up the proceedings.