‘I haven’t done anything wrong!’ Melodrama and victimization in Las 13 rosas/13 Roses (2007) and La voz dormida/The Sleeping Voice (2011)

This article examines two films about the Spanish Civil War that feature victims as protagonists: Las 13 rosas/13 Roses (Martínez Lázaro, 2007) and La voz dormida/The Sleeping Voice (Zambrano, 2011). Drawing from studies of melodrama, the article offers an examination of the representation of Francoist repression through visual narration in these films, suggesting they use an affective filter that impedes audience’s critical reflection. The article ends by discussing victimization and spectatorship in relation to Rancière’s ideas of the emancipated spectator. It explores how the audience’s experiences might have been affected by the fact that debates on historical memory, which were prominent at the time of the release of these films, were downplayed in both films.