Activating dissident memories: Video as a tool for resistance in Agustina Comedi’s Playback

This article examines how the short documentary Playback: Ensayo de una despedida repurposes archival videos of the underground queer scene in Argentina’s nascent democracy in the late 1980s. Video is used as a tool for documenting queer histories, resisting erasure and reimagining the past. By blending archival footage with fictional elements, I argue that Playback highlights the affective dimensions of queer memory and the power of friendship in sustaining emotional truths and also demonstrates how video archives can be mobilized for resistance and resilience.