Subversive Effects of Perversion: Sexuality and Social Construction in <em>The Cannibal Man</em>

Abstract

The objective of this article is to offer a reading of The Cannibal Man (La semana del asesino, Eloy de la Iglesia, 1972). The film, which underwent numerous changes on the orders of Franco’s censors, uses perversion to challenge the values of the dominant ideology. The Cannibal Man explores the connection between sexuality and the production of functional subjects for the maintenance of the social order. In this context, it is interesting to analyse the presence of the first gay character in Eloy de la Iglesia’s filmography because, in spite of the attempts by the censors to minimise his presence in the film, his relationship with the protagonist of the story contributes to the destabilisation of masculine imagery and of the patriarchal discourse.