Fevers, Frights and Psychophysical Disconnections: Invisible Threats in the Soundtracks of Zama and The Headless Woman

Abstract

This chapter explores the particularities of the soundtrack in Zama and The Headless Woman, taking into consideration some techniques in the use of sound effects and ambient sounds that are employed repeatedly. It pays special attention to the offscreen sounds, which build the world as the presence/absence of the other, in addition to showing themselves as non-diegetic sounds: sounds that do not occur in the world of the characters; an invasion that, in previous films, had not yet appeared so prominently. These absent presences lead to an intensifying sense of vertigo in the face of an uncontrollable element like an accident, an illness, or another’s decision. Martel brings us closer to her characters’ hearing through the editing of these sounds, creating an atmosphere of continuous and ever-increasing discomfort, which is displayed by the inability to recognise the objects and sound events that surround the protagonists of these films.