Film Argentina 1985. Photo: Thalía Fuentes/ Cubadebate
“Argentina 1985” is not a film to be indifferent to. It is impossible. You don’t even have to know the history of the South American country in detail to immerse yourself in the plot, masterfully directed as usual by the renowned actor Ricardo Darín in the role of prosecutor Julio Strassera together with his assistant prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, played by Peter Lanzani.
In Argentina, democracy began in 1985 with the Trial of the military juntasa trial unprecedented in 20th-century history, with the exception of the Nuremberg trial (between 1945 and 1946) which tried the crimes of Nazism, and a 1975 trial of the Greek colonels who ruled the coup in this country in 1967.
The dilemma Strassera is caught in is the same formula repeated by those fighting against the system, corrupt governments or military dictatorships in the Americas. Some are luckier than others.
He would be the prosecutor in a trial in which a civilian court would convict the nine leaders of the first three military juntas who ruled the country after the 1976 coup. Murder, torture and enforced disappearance were among the crimes.
The film, directed by Santiago Miter, is excellently made – as always at the opening of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. It excels in the areas of photography, editing, screenplay, theatrical quality of the characters, lighting, music and montage.
Humorous scenes are intertwined with other tough, strong, sober scenes that make you, the viewer, put yourself in the shoes of those being tortured or the insecurities of those who were in the courtroom.
The dynamic and eloquent rhythm of the shots and characters conveys an emotional charge that awakens sympathy for the majority or dislike for others in the sitters. The narrative thread tells you how the legal team was formed, the threats they received, the persecution and dangers they faced in their quest for justice.
“My Lords, never again” The prosecutor’s argument ends. The room rises. People weep and applaud, along with the audience that came to the Chaplin cinema in the capital. This is how the appointment with the seventh art in Cuba began with a bang. Raise the curtain and the 43rd edition of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema begins.
Download here: Diary 0 of the festival
Film Argentina 1985. Photo: Thalía Fuentes/ Cubadebate
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