Question
Did Alejandro rape Guillermo in the interrogation scene in Sicario?
If so, what was the purpose of the water jug? And why did Matt Graver stay and watch?
Answer
This hasn't really been addressed from the film-makers, but it appears the most obvious interpretation of the scene is that it was a waterboarding.
The original script describes the scene as follows:
A door opens and we find GUILLERMO, 45, fat, three day stubble, and very unhappy to be here. His hands are cuffed behind his back. A DEA AGENT holds a bottle of water that Guillermo sucks like an infant.
Matt walks in.
MATT (CONT’D) Giving him a belly full of water... you devil.
Matt smiles, the agent smiles back.
Matt sits in the only other chair in the room.
MATT (CONT’D) Didn’t think we’d get you here, did you?
GUILLERMO No hablo-
MATT I love it when they don’t hablo.
Brought an old buddy of yours. Bet you ‘hablo’ to him.The door opens and Alejandro walks in, carrying two five gallon jugs of water. It takes Guillermo a minute, then horror washes over his face.
GUILLERMO El Medellin.
MATT Alejandro, he remembers you.
No expression on Alejandro’s face.
The DEA Agent moves to the door.
DEA AGENT I’m gonna step out.
He closes the door behind him. The red ‘record’ button on the camera mounted in the corner goes out. We notice a DRAIN IN THE FLOOR.
Alejandro walks toward Guillermo, stands across from him. Places a foot on his chest. Pushes... Hard... Guillermo sways back, like a chopped tree. He moves through frame in slow motion, falling out of frame.
From reading it, there's absolutely no implication of rape, but a heavy implication of torture through waterboarding.
The actual scene in the film doesn't quite take place like this:
However, it still appears water-boarding is the most obvious explanation. Whilst we hear muffed grunts during the close-up of the drain at the end, and we notice the unopened water jug, this ignores that for water-boarding to occur the victim will generally have a cloth stuffed into their mouth. This act, along with any other roughhousing Alejandro gives him, would lead to the grunts we hear.
Whilst rape cannot be completely ruled out, it would seem rather out of place. Why would Matt stay and watch? Why would rape lead to more information than torture? If it is rape and torture, again - what would the point of the rape have been?
In conclusion, I can understand where the rape allegations come from, but I think the waterboarding is a far more likely interpretation.
Answered By - Andrew Martin
