영화 「미션」 속의 식민제국주의 국제법

This study analyzes the historical reality and cinematic representation of the Guaraní War in 18th-century South American colonial society, using Roland Joffé’s 1986 film The Mission as the primary text. It also examines the structural violence embedded in the legal mechanisms of colonial imperialism. The film depicts the conflict between Jesuit mission communities and the Spanish and Portuguese empires, triggered by the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, and dramatically depicts the confrontation between religious ideals and secular power. This paper interprets the allegories embedded in the film’s characters and spaces, while critically reviewing the limits of its representation, specifically its Eurocentric perspective and its idealization of Jesuits. In doing so, the study elucidates the historical strata underlying the film’s narrative: the territorial division extending from the Treaty of Tordesillas to the Treaty of Madrid, and the colonial legal system represented by the Leyes de Indias(Laws of the Indies). This research reveals that although imperial laws nominally advocated the ‘protection’ of indigenous peoples, they functioned as instruments of structural violence. By defining Indigenous populations as subjects to be civilized and governed, these laws legitimized domination and control. In conclusion, this study identifies The Mission as an ethical text that explores human dignity and religious resistance against imperial law and violence. The film poses enduring questions regarding civilization, savagery, salvation, and oppression, which remain relevant today.