Death of a Subaltern: Melodrama, Class and Victimhood in Muerte de un ciclista (Juan Antonio Bardem, 1955) and La mujer sin cabeza (Lucrecia Martel, 2008)

Abstract This article provides a comparative analysis of Muerte de un ciclista (dir. Juan Antonio Bardem, 1955) and La mujer sin cabeza (dir. Lucrecia Martel, 2008). It argues that both films use the hit-and-run motif to address class difference, but also to reflect on key historical events such as the Spanish Civil War and the desaparecidos during the last military dictatorship in Argentina. The article analyses how both films adopt and rework conventions of melodrama to produce a critique of the bourgeoisie from within. Finally, it contends that each film negotiates differently its affiliation to the melodramatic mode.