Immediately after the film, you may want to give people a few quiet moments to reflect on what they have seen or pose a general question (examples below) and give people some time to themselves to jot down or think about their answers before opening the discussion:

• Why do you think the film is named The Silence of Others?
• What did you learn from this film? Did you gain a new insight?
• Describe a moment or scene in the film that you found particularly disturbing or moving. What was it about that scene that was especially compelling for you?
• Did anything in the film surprise you? Was anything familiar?
• If you could ask anyone in the film a single question, whom would you ask and what would you want to know?

Forgetting vs. Forgiving

After Franco’s death, parties both on the left and right established the so-called “Pact of Forgetting” following the 1977 Amnesty Law, which politically formalized a path of moving onwards from the era of Franco’s reign. In what ways in the film did you notice that Spanish people have “forgotten” Franco-era history? What do you notice in the interviews with Spaniards in the town square? What does it seem has been the impact of forgetting?

In the film, activists in the lawsuit share their perspectives on forgiveness and forgetting. “Forgetting does not lead to forgiveness...it generates more hatred,'' says one activist. Ascensión Mendieta says “you can forget, but you can’t forgive.” How are forgetting and forgiving different? How are they related? What does it feel like to forget something that has happened in the past? What does it feel like to forgive a person?

Attorney Carlos Slepoy states that “forgiveness is an individual matter. A state cannot forgive crimes.” Do you think it is possible for a government to forgive a grave crime? What might forgiveness from the perspective of a government look like? Can you think of any examples of when you have witnessed a government forgiving a perpetrator for their crimes?

Why might it be important to remember historical events, instead of forgetting them? How does our past help us learn? Reflect on an historical event in your own country or community. How has learning about this past allowed you or the people around you to grow or even move on?

“Those who don’t want this to go to trial are relying on time to take the victims away,” says lawyer Ana Messuti. What does her statement reveal about the relationship between victims’ testimonies and the larger effort to forget Spain’s past?

The narrator explains that “the world chose to forget, embracing Franco in his fight against communism.” The film shows him shaking hands with U.S. presidents Eisenhower and Nixon, Papal Nuncio Antoniutti, French president de Gaulle and U.N. Secretary General Waldheim who all embraced Franco in what he painted as his fight against Communism. In what ways does it seem the international community has forgotten the crimes of Franco and his regime? What might happen if the international community actively remembered Spain’s civil war and Franco’s lasting impact?

In the film, UN Special Rapporteur Pablo de Greiff says “the victims, rightly, do not forget”. Does it seem possible for all Spaniards to forget and move on from what happened during Franco’s rule? Why would the ability to forget be different for different people?

Trauma of Everyday Living When the Regime is Still Memorialized

The protagonists of the film fight to get street names changed to no longer commemorate Franco and his regime. Why do you think it is important to the victims to have the names of streets changed? What do you think is the impact of changing the names? How might changing the names impact the everyday experiences of victims? What kind of message does this send to Spaniards? Have you witnessed similar name-changing in your own community or country? Share a bit about this experience.

There are relatively few memorials for the victims of the Franco regime installed in Spain. One monument, featuring four forlorn sculptures on a mountaintop, is featured regularly in the film. Much debate remains surrounding remaining symbols, icons, memorials to Franco’s regime and commemorative sculptures. What do you think is the impact of publicly visible artifacts that still memorialize Franco? What do you think is the effect of objects that tell the story of the victims? Why do these objects matter? Has your community had a debate around memorials or sculptures that commemorate history?

In the United States there has been a renewed interest and debate around removing Confederate monuments. What do you imagine or know to be the argument to keep the monuments? Why might people want them removed?

One of the repercussions of the lack of national reckoning with the past is that perpetrators continue to roam free. Chato, for example, shares how he lives near his torturer, “Billy the Kid”, who has never been investigated in Spain. Victims still are reminded every day of their trauma. How do you imagine this makes them feel? How might this dynamic prevent a process of forgiving and forgetting?

State Violence and Political Power

One of the complexities of prosecuting state violence is that the state controls the criminal justice system. Asks human rights lawyer Carlos Slepoy, “how can you serve justice for crimes committed by the state”? What do you think is the role of citizens to push back against their own government?

What do you consider the role of the international community in responding to a state’s violence against its own people?

The narrator explains that, “after Franco’s death, many of his police, judges, and politicians, simply continued on.” Maria Ángeles Martín adds that “it was the same institution. The same people. The same mayor.” How do you imagine the continuation of (former) Francoists in political power has impacted the victims' ability to seek justice? How do you imagine it has impacted Spain’s culture around forgetting the past?

Visiting a former secret detention center in Argentina was a very emotional moment for the activists and victims. “Seeing a school group here brings tears to our eyes,” explains Chato. “When will we see students in the General Security Headquarters saying, ‘Look, Chato was tortured here’”? Why might the state want to control how students are educated about Spain’s past?

The Power of Organizing

Despite many years of pain, and the inability to open a case within Spain, a group of victims-turned-activists realized they could make a case in a foreign court to prosecute crimes against humanity, bypassing Spanish amnesty restrictions. They worked together to find legal representation, gather stories, and talk to the press. What do you think is the significance of the activists combining their efforts? What do you think may be the power of organizing a group of people around a common social cause, versus standing alone? What kind of support does working in a group provide? Share an experience where working as a group gave you more support.

Through her relentless activism, María Mercedes Bueno works to bring attention to the stealing of infants. The film also shows her gathering stories from other women who suffered the same fate. Have you ever felt determined to stand by a belief or experience? Have you ever had to gather the support of others, or motivate others to speak out? What was that experience like?

Closing Questions

At the end of your discussion, to help people synthesize what they’ve experienced and move the focus from dialogue to action steps, you may want to choose one of these questions:

• What did you learn from this film that you wish everyone knew? What would change if everyone knew it?
• If you could require one person (or one group) to view this film, who would it be? What do you hope their main takeaway would be?
• The story of The Silence of Others is important because ___________.
• Complete this sentence: I am inspired by this film (or discussion) to __________.

Additional media literacy questions are available at:https://www.amdoc.org/engage/resources/media-literacy-questions-analyzing-pov-films/using-framework/