'El Desencanto’: First-Person Mental Illness in Film

Abstract

The documentary El desencanto (1976) is a landmark in Spanish cinema due to its formal innovation and socio-psychological depth. Beginning with the tribute to the poet Leopoldo Panero, the film exposes the tensions and conflicts of the Panero family through intimate testimonies from his mother, Felicidad Blanc, and his children Juan Luis, Michi, and Leopoldo María. The appearance of Leopoldo María, the central figure of disenchantment, reveals the emotional fracture of the family nucleus and challenges paternal authority, highlighting the impact of the father’s absence on the psychology and relationships of family members. The film thus provides a critical portrayal of the disintegration of the traditional family in late Francoist Spain, exploring power dynamics, dependence, and the subjectivity of its members.