Set in a country that is transitioning to democracy, Death and the Maiden explores how -- and if -- a nation can start to heal its wounds after years of living in a dictatorship regime. Gerardo and Paulina are married, and have finally started to relax after years of living in fear. Gerardo, a lawyer, has just accepted a post as the head of a citizenship committee that will investigate the past crimes of the dictatorship. Unfortunately, the committee will not be able to publicly name the criminals, and no one will be prosecuted, as a result. Gerardo feels that the committee will be a way for the country to peacefully transition to the new government, but his wife Paulina has other ideas of justice. Paulina is traumatized by her past: she was kidnapped, tortured, and raped by members of the former regime. When a stranger visits their home at Gerardo鈥檚 request, Paulina recognizes his voice as one of her torturers -- she had nicknamed him 鈥渢he Doctor鈥�. Determined to administer justice for herself, she takes matters into her own hands and makes sure he pays for his former sins. Is this stranger, however, really the 鈥淒octor鈥�, or simply an innocent citizen? Death and the Maiden is a political and moral thriller that examines the psychological aftereffects of human rights abuses.
Death and the Maiden guide sections
