The Girlfriend

The Girlfriend

Year: 1988

Runtime: 110 mins

Language: Spanish

Director: Jeanine Meerapfel

Drama

Raquel and Maria have been close since childhood. As adults, Raquel fulfills her dream of becoming an actress, while Maria lives with her handyman husband, raises three children, and runs the household. After the 1976 Argentine coup, Maria’s eldest son Carlos is abducted, and she turns to Raquel for help. Raquel’s involvement brings the junta’s attention, forcing her to flee to Berlin. Maria joins a women’s group researching the disappeared. With democracy restored in 1983, the two friends reunite.

The Girlfriend (1988) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at The Girlfriend (1988) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the quiet, working‑class suburbs just south of Buenos Aires, the late‑1970s feel both ordinary and fraught. A military coup has tightened its grip on the city, casting a permanent hush over public life while shadows linger in every conversation. The atmosphere is dense with whispered fear, the hum of daily chores, and the ever‑present question of who might be watching. It is a world where personal ambitions clash with a regime that scrutinizes even the most private gestures.

Maria lives the rhythm of a household that revolves around her husband’s handyman work, three lively children, and the lingering ache of a son who vanished in the early days of the dictatorship. Her lifelong confidante, Raquel, has chased a dream of the stage, carving a name for herself in theatre while navigating the added weight of her Jewish heritage in an increasingly suspicious society. Their friendship, forged in childhood games and reinforced by adult hardships, is a steady current beneath the turbulence of the times, each woman offering the other a refuge from the pervasive uncertainty.

When the disappearance of Maria’s eldest son surfaces as an impossible question, the two women find themselves pulled into a quiet, determined search that reverberates through the neighborhood’s narrow streets and clandestine gatherings. The repression tightens around Raquel, whose artistic life and personal ties begin to attract unwanted attention, while Maria steps into a circle of mothers seeking truth and solidarity. The looming prospect of exile and the distant promise of democratic change hover on the horizon, giving the story a mood that is simultaneously intimate, tense, and hopeful, as two friends cling to one another while the country teeters on the edge of transformation.

Last Updated: December 03, 2025 at 23:49

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Personal lives consumed by the slow, creeping dread of a repressive state.Explore movies like 'The Girlfriend' that delve into the personal cost of political oppression. These intimate dramas show how historical trauma affects families and friendships, focusing on resilience and the slow-burning search for truth amidst state violence.

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The narrative often begins in a state of relative normalcy that is shattered by a political event, typically a disappearance or act of state violence. The story then follows the prolonged, often quiet, struggle of civilians—usually women or families—to uncover the truth, find their loved ones, and maintain their humanity against a backdrop of pervasive fear. The journey is one of endurance rather than triumphant victory.

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These movies are grouped by their shared focus on the domestic and personal impact of large-scale political conflict. They share a slow, meditative pace that allows grief and tension to build, a dark and somber tone, and a heavy emotional weight centered on themes of loss, memory, and resilience.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative spans a significant period, tracing the parallel lives of two friends who may follow different paths. A major crisis—often historical or personal—tests their bond, forcing them to rely on each other in new ways. The story explores loyalty, sacrifice, and how shared history sustains them, culminating in a reunion or reaffirmation of their connection that is meaningful but cannot erase the scars of their journey.

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These films are connected by their deep investment in a single, central friendship as the emotional core. They share a heavy emotional weight, a slow or steady pacing that allows the relationship to develop authentically, and a bittersweet or melancholic tone where joy and sorrow are deeply intertwined.

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The Girlfriend Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in The Girlfriend

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