Garage Olimpo

Bechis is a good example of the best Costa Gavras that you could ever see. This very dark Argentinian period is photographed with a very clean and doubtless hand. Do not leave anything pending, Bechis's position is quite clear and naked. The reality given by certain scenes could remember you some of those films shot in "film veritè" technique. The only critic that I could say about the film is that I would have prefer to get into deeper details of certain characters of the reasons why they decided to be torturers and follow certain life. A film that will not be forgotten, much less commercial than "Missing" of Costa Gavras. A fist in the stomach. Rating: 7

In the 70's, the eighteen year-old Maria Fabiani (Antonella Costa) lives with her French mother Diane (Dominique Sanda) in an old house in Buenos Aires, subletting rooms and giving classes to illiterate adults in the slums. One of the tenants, Felix (Carlos Echevarría), has a non-corresponded crush on Maria. When the teenager is abducted in her house by the Argentinean army accused of subversion, her mother seeks her out in the 23rd Precinct where one of the military without uniform tells her that they are heading with Maria. While Diane desperately tries to find information about her daughter, Maria is submitted to torture in the hideous underground of the Garage Olimpo. Out of the blue, Felix and she meet each other in the interrogation room and Maria finds that he is one of her torturers. Felix protects Maria the best he can while the prisoner develops the Stockholm Syndrome to her hostage-taker.

"Garage Olimpo" has just been released on DVD in Brazil and depicts the dark age of Argentina in the late 70's and early 80's (and also in most South America – Brazil, Chile and Uruguay), when the military governments sponsored by the United States of America disrupted the human rights of the civilian societies and promoted coup d'état and takeover, toppling the governments elected by people. In Argentina, the common practice was the torture and subsequent death of the militants that were drugged and then dropped in the sea by military airplanes, with their children given for adoption especially in the period 1976-1983. In Argentina, the unofficial number of missing persons in accordance with Human Rights Organizations is about 30,000 people. In Brazil, the number of people arrested by the military government was between 50,000 and 70,000 and in the present days, after the amnesty that protected mainly the torturers, there are still 140 missing persons. Garage Olimpo shows this procedure through the relationship of Maria with Felix, and also the desperation of her mother. Later, the Argentinean mothers of missing people have become human rights activists and formed the organization "Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" with the goal of finding their kidnapped children. Therefore, Garage Olimpo is a must-see especially for the youngest generations that might be not aware of the horrors of this period. The Brazilian DVD does not translate the last sentence in the movie accurately. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Garage Olimpo"

I'm not sure this movie will be released where you're reading this comment,but if it is, please,go and see it. you have to. Be prepared though: It's very intense and disturbing, and when it is over you will feel dirty, soiled,shocked. This is a film about Argentina under the Military regime of the late '70s. This is a movie about the desaparecidos, Argentinian citizens kidnapped from their homes from the police and the military,tortured and imprisoned to extort information from them and then, finally, killed, most of the times thrown in the ocean from a plane while doped. Their crime? Trying to fight this regime. The film is almost perfect:great screenplay,great cast,great direction. Essential viewing. For more than one reason. Rating:9

Is well known for much the story of the dictatorship in Latin America, specially in the south side. This begin in 1976, and is no more than one of the most embarrassing times for any of this countries. Time where innocent, young and old, people who only fight for its rights were tortured in the most horrible ways, with none rake of hope or life. There some movie which treat this topic, "Garage Olimpo" is one of them, is a movie that don't treat a easy thing, is a film that must fight with memory and with the bloody past of us, the Latin American people.

"Garage Olimpo" told us the story of María, a beautiful young woman who lives in a big house with her mother and a tenant called Félix in the military dictatorship. She teach to old people and too, with other people, fight against the military repression. One day she is taken by some men and go then to a kind of Garage, hide down earth. She now must live horrible tortures by these men, and one of them is Félix. This is a kind of sipnosis for this hard movie. As a Latin American, "Garage Olimpo" was one of the greatest, if not one of the hardest, experiences of my life. This is not a film for fun, or something like that, you must see it with a clean mind, ready and with no kind of worries, i think every movie must see it in that way.

Some of the countries that suffer more this was Argentina, Chile and Urugay, between others. It was a hard moment, bloody and really full of injustice, and now, years after, is a situation that really shame much of us, and "Garage Olimpo" is one that Must See and Must Feel experiences, because make you take on count of a lot of things, and is exactly a prove, a response of a lot of the injustices in this moment. There was in 1986 another movie called "La Noche de los lápices", another masterpiece which treat this topic, also in Argentina, but the difference here, is that "Garage Olimpo" doesn't makes you tremble so much as think and too feel really bad.

"Garage Olimpo" is a sad experience because shown us a city (This was explained by director Marco Bechis who live too some of this dictatorship) divided in two -You feel this all the time with takes of Buenos Aires at night and at day - : Up, the cars move really normal, the kid play and the grown ups work, all is very normal. At the same time, down, people is abused, is sick and without any chance of see, and no thanks to a blanket which cover their eyes, is because, in middle of darkness, they can't see another future better than suffer and finally death. This film shown us a reality that, unfortunately, is see it here, in Colombia, in Argentina, in Latin America, in all the world.

"Garage Olimpo" is not only an historical achievement, is too a movie for the memory and hearts for the Latin American. Is a movie that get stuck in your mind telling you that something must to change. This is not a positive film, seeing that kind of things, there's not something positive to say.

*Sorry for the mistakes...well, if there any.

This film is set in Argentina at the end of the 70's but it could be set anywhere in anytime. As soon as Maria gets kidnapped by the army, the film changes to an unbearable, uncomfortable and quite minimalist atmosphere.

The structure of the film itself brings out the complexity of resistance and engagement : the act of Ana arouses our sympathy at the beginning of the film but causes the death of Maria at the end of it. Also, the beautiful shots of the sea and of Buenos Aires taking from a plane turn out to be horrific as they suggest the death of the Disappeared.

The scenes where Felix, her torturer, takes Maria out from the Garage are well done and exceptional. The author shows the unconcern, thoughtlessness and happiness of the people who care more about the world cup as if nothing was happening, and show in the same time the terror of Maria's face with her eyes trying to find a way out. The relationship between Felix and Maria doesn't fall into the sentimental stereotype and is quite secondary. Maria knows that Felix is her only chance of survival, she plays the game but will never love never.

When I saw this film there were only 3 of us in the cinema. It was as if I saw it alone, in the dark in front of this story. I had a strange feeling when I came out and I will never forget this film.