The unbearable weight of perverse cultural logic: Psychological and educational analysis of Retribution by Dani de la Torre and To Steal from a Thief by Daniel Calparsoro

Abstract

Corruption is a social phenomenon that has recently become one the main worries of the Spanish population and a subject of interesting artistic works. The perverse norms of a society make up a certain cultural logic that can be seen in corrupt behaviors and in the breakdown of social bonds. This work studies in a compared way how this process is reflected in Retribution by Dani de la Torre and To Steal from a Thief by Daniel Calparsoro. Corruption is present in every society. Although. this chapter focuses on the specific situation of Spain, the conflict can be extended to other nations and these films have connections with previous and later productions from other Spanish-speaking countries and America. 2008 economic crisis has made more evident the differences between the groups that have economic and political power and the rest of population. The protagonists of these films are exposed to a society that boosts inequality, vulnerability and corruption and they go from taking part in it to denouncing the situation and creating some bonds that may be the beginning of other cultural logic. This article proposes a psychological and educational approach to the process of corruption shown in the mentioned movies.