Argentina, 1985

As Argentina begins reckoning with the violent torture and murder of its people by a ruthless military junta from 1976 to 1983, the task falls to prosecutor Julio Strassera (Darin) to prosecute the dictators. The constant death threats are shrugged off by his wife Silvia (Flechner) and children, and his deputy Luis (Lanzani) has no experience but a sharp mind. They assemble an unusually young team and set out to gather evidence of 709 specific crimes, representing thousands. But it seems unthinkable that these still-powerful armed forces leaders will ever be sent to prison.

Witty interaction gives the film a surprising electrical charge, making darker elements even more devastating. Without going into too much detail regarding torture, what's described is absolutely horrific, and scale could have been mind-numbing without such personal filmmaking. This also helps us identify vividly with characters, while seeing this situation echoed in present-day politics as former heads of state face consequences for actions taken when they felt above the law.

Veteran actor Darin makes Julio feel wonderfully competent; even when he's unsure, we know he's on the right track. His sardonic comments bring harsh things into perspective, and he has wonderfully abrasive camaraderie with his family and colleagues, drawing both strength and inspiration. His partnership with the likeable Lanzani's whip-smart Luis develops beautifully over the case. And as Silvia, Flechner adds fabulously sardonic moments that run very deep. Meanwhile, Paredes gets a show-stealing role as a key witness who resiliently recounts a staggering ordeal.

These true events are important in world history, a pivotal change in how leaders are held to account, eventually. A line in the film equates this trial with Nuremberg, but this is perhaps even more earth-shaking. And what sets this film apart is the way a young legal team bonds over their desire to set the historical record straight, because they are the ones who will inherit the leadership of their country. They want it to be a just place to live. Obviously, they're not there yet, but this first step was massive.

A bracingly riveting legal drama that sheds informative light on the historic Trial of the Juntas and the painstaking work that went into its preparation, Argentina, 1985 narrates the strategy of the attorney chosen to prosecute the ones responsible for the bloodiest dictatorship in Argentine history. Smartly crafted & strongly acted, the film is engrossing for the most part yet not realised to its full potential.

Co-written & directed by Santiago Mitre, the story covers the legal challenges & constant death threats that the lead prosecutor faces along with his personal demons while preparing the case. The courtroom proceedings are shot with finesse, those real-life testimonies provide a powerful, disturbing & heartbreaking account of the brutality of the dictatorial regime and they happen to be provocative enough to rile up viewers' emotions.

Despite the grim subject matter, humour surfaces on screen in the most unlikely of ways and is effectively carried out. But the plot also loses momentum every time it shifts focus from the main event to protagonist's own family life. Also, the prosecution team hardly faces any friction in the courtroom, for the back-n-forth plays that make this genre so captivating is missing here. But as expected, Ricardo Darín leads from the front with an assured input.

Overall, Argentina, 1985 illustrates the political climate of its period setting in meticulous detail and makes for a gripping dramatisation of a vital slice of Argentine history. Still, there was more up for grabs as despite the 140 mins runtime, the film feels like a surface level exploration than an in-depth investigation. Strengthened by top-notch performances from its cast & first-rate work from the crew, this Argentine offering ranks amongst the better films of 2022 and is a must-see.

Argentina undergoes the biggest civilian trial in its history by putting in the dock the military officers who ruled the country for years, who, in their effort to subdue the guerrillas, orchestrated one of the harshest genocides in recent history: kidnappings, tortures and murders that were to go unpunished.

Because of its political plot, the film will generate different results in the viewer, mainly among Argentines. One character is saved, Attorney General Stassera, showing an integrity that is a great inspiration. However, for those who know the details of the real story and even more for those who have lived through it, these stories with a clear political hero always leave someone with a bad taste in their mouth.

On the other hand, considering that this is a trial that many viewers may not be aware of, the film's plot is well-developed if somewhat lengthy.

The drama is both entertaining and tough, as is so often the case with Argentine films starring Darín.

The camera play is good, to the point that it is difficult to distinguish the historical shots from the fictional ones. The characters are very well chosen.

Undoubtedly, Darín's performance, once again, is among the best in this feature film. He supports the rest of the actors - the family scenes are practically his - leads them as he wants and always leaves that humorous tone of fine irony in all his gestures.

A remarkable film that can be recommended to a minimally serious audience.

The movie starts pretty slow, but from the beginning on you can connect with the characters. The first half hour or so has A LOT of funny little moments, maybe even one or two to many, considering the tone and themes of the movie, but it still works somehow, especially because the actors do a very good job(Important sidenote: I watched it in the original language with subtitles).

The movie lacks a bit of structure though, and the first half feels a bit long and stretched in some parts, it doesn't really feel like we are getting somewhere anytime soon. But it picks up in the second half! What still lacks is real tension. BUT there are a lot of very powerful moments near the end, spectacularly delivered by the cast.

You should also not expect thorough explanations of argentinian history or the court case itself, the movie is about people fighting for justice and shows there struggles and emotions.

So if you want to see an emotional, yet funny, movie with some real heart, and you bring some patience with you, I can really recommend it!

I've been looking forward to this film for a long time, and it doesn't disappoint at all. It's the kind of movie where the performances carry all the weight. Ricardo Darin as always was superb, but also Alejandra Flechner shines as the prosecutor's wife.

While the film has the familiar structure of a trial movie, everything is executed flawlessly.

Merits aside, the whole technical section, from minute zero, is absolutely surprising, the budget is noticeable. I recommend watching it on the big screen, it is unmissable to see the audience's reaction throughout the film. It'll probably be on of the five nominees at the Oscar´s for best international film.