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Premiered at the Venice Film Festival, The Importance of Democracy is Showcased in ‘Argentina, 1985’

Premiered at the Venice Film Festival, The Importance of Democracy is Showcased in ‘Argentina, 1985’ belatina latine

The 2022 Venice Film Festival’s line-up includes many anticipated films for the Oscar season. Each year, foreign films make more of an impact during the award season, and we’re so excited to see who wins. 

An insightful and important film titled “Argentina, 1985” recently debuted at the festival. It was directed by Santiago Mitre, and written by Mitre along with Mariano Llinás. The film was inspired by two young lawyers, Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, who take on Argentina’s violent dictatorship in the midst of the Cold War a.k.a. “The Trial of the Juntas.”

‘Argentina, 1985’ showcases the perils of dictatorship

“The 1985 trial is a fundamental fact for Argentina. It inaugurates democracy and at the same time condemns violence as a possibility. We believed that cinema had to portray it, and we are proud to have been the first to present it to the world,” said Santiago Mitre when he presented the film at the Venice Film Festival.

So far, “Argentina, 1985” has been a hit with the critics, coming in at an 88 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is said to be a fictional drama, although it is inspired by real events. 

The dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla lasted throughout the course of the Cold War and was considered one of the most infamous dictatorships in South America due to the abuse of human rights and total mismanagement of the government structure. It will be interesting to see a movie like this without a character from the United States influencing the plot.

The two lawyers – depicted in the film – were responsible for bringing down Videla while the CIA conducted missions for “Operation Condor” at the same time.

Implemented in November 1975, “Operation Condor” was a system that was created to persecute and eliminate political, social, trade union, and student activists from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil. There were roughly 30,000 deaths in Argentina alone as a result of this terrorist campaign. 

Even if there is no interaction between spies from the United States and the lead characters of the film, it’ll be eye-opening to see a story featuring proud citizens and honorable lawyers defending their country from dictatorship. 

The Venice Film Festival is in its 79th year. Its platform continues to be used as an opportunity to discover films that are not heavily marketed to the masses. It started on Wednesday, August 31, and runs through Saturday, September 10.

Where to watch it if you’re not attending the Venice Film Festival

With all the streaming services pushing their own franchise to be a strong IP for the public domain, it’s important to pay attention to the unique passion projects coming out of each film festival, if you are a true fan of cinema. 

“Argentina, 1985” will be shown in select theaters on Sept. 30 and on Amazon Prime Video on Oct. 21. Be sure to check in next week for a follow-up review on several Latinx films premiering at the 2022 Venice Film Festival!

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