Buenos Aires 1977

an Argentinian page of history. new piece from Pinochet regime. admirable performances. inspired script. and a story of survive. result - a remarkable film. but, more important, a realistic fresco of the XX century. because it is a film about dictatorship. about the brutal power for intimidate and control and see the other only as tool of own interest. and this is the motif for who "Chronicle of an Escape" is a great movie. for the fascinating way to describe the essence of human resistance. for the manner to suggest the heart of every dictatorship. for the wise science to remind - do not ignore the legacy of the last century. this is all. and the basic point for a real useful lesson of history.

Let's see. An American nation is threatened by terrorists. For seven years, the government is headed by people who believe that extraconstitutional measures are required. They detain people based on suspicion (often false accusations by enemies) and torture them because they MUST know something. These are specially created places outside the normal criminal system. It is funded and approved from the White House in the name of combating out a global movement, using soldiers and "contractors."

I've been watching movies based on this period. This is one made by Argentines, which adds something. Though the film-making is not particularly effective, it adds a genuine patina. What's disappointing about this is that though we get that the bad guys are genuinely evil men, we don't get the visceral impact of what happened. Really happened.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

"Crónica de una Fuga" is not only an objective journey through Argentina's shady past, but also an engaging thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Uruguayan director Adrian Caetano, proves himself to be on of the leading filmmakers among the flourishing Argentinean film industry. The director of "Bolivia" and "Un Oso Rojo" is very precise when it comes to dialogues, and has an ability to acknowledge violence only by showing its imminence -the most powerful and cruel moments are achieved by creating a meticulous balance with the sound fields-.

It is also worth mentioning Rodrigo de la Serna's performance, who after working opposite to Gael Garcia Bernal in "Motorcycle Diaries" managed to establish himself as one of the most talented Latin American actor of his generation.

Set to be released around Jan. 2007, "Cronica" is an insightful thriller that should not be missed.

In 1977, the goalkeeper of the Almagro team Claudio Tamburrini (Rodrigo de la Serna) is illegally kidnapped from his home, arrested by the government forces and sent blindfolded to Sere Mansion, a clandestine detention center. His acquaintance Tano (Martín Urruty), who had been tortured for a long period, had falsely accused Claudio of being a revolutionary. Along the months, Claudio is kept nude and handcuffed together with the prisoners El Gallego (Lautaro Delgado), El Vasco (Matías Marmorato) and Guillermo Fernández (Nazareno Casero) and submitted to all sort of humiliations and tortures, until the night they decide to escape from their imprisonment in the old mansion.

The dramatic "Crónica de una Fuga" is a true recollection of a dark period of dictatorship in South America sponsored by USA to fight the communism, more specifically in Argentina. The story is very well acted but limited to the situation of Claudio and the other three prisoners in the Sere Mansion and their escape. However it omits, for example, that Tano and the other prisoners have been certainly dropped airborne from an Air Force airplane (the Jeep indicates Air Force Argentine, and this was a common practice in the dictatorship period). My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Crônica de uma Fuga" ("Chronicle of an Escape")

This Argentinian movie set in the 1970s presents the real life story of four prisoners who manage a successful escape from their military junta captors during the Dirty War era in Argentina. The Dirty War era was a dark and infamous period in the history of Argentina when the right wing military government was responsible for the disappearance of several thousands - some estimates put the number at about 30,000 - of Argentinians on the pretext that they were suspected left wing terrorists.

This movie retells the real life story of Claudio Tamburrini and three of his fellow prisoners who manage to escape from a secret detention center. Claudio is a goalkeeper in a minor league soccer team and is abducted by the military secret police who suspect him to be a leftist terrorist. Their suspicion is merely based on the questionable testimony of another captive and they swoop down on an unsuspecting Claudio at his residence. Before Claudio could even grapple with the happenings, he is whisked away to a desolate detention center in a suburb where he is held as a blindfolded captive for several months along with others without any due process. The captives are put through a daily rigour of sadistic violence and humiliation in the name of interrogation by their captors who tend to play dangerous mindgames with the hapless captives. This movie is based on the autobiographical account by Claudio with further inputs from his fellow escapee Guillermo who leads their audacious escape on a stormy night.

The focus in the movie is on the daily ordeals faced by the captives and the unflinching cruelty of the thugs of the junta who inflict unspeakable horrors on them. The movie has a dark and foreboding tone throughout to provide a realistic edge to the happenings with just tiny flecks of rooted situational humour and the final act of escape is set as a thriller, albeit, sans any heightened drama. However, the movie does not bother acquainting the viewers with the social context to the unfolding events. Perhaps, this is one reason why there is a sense of something amiss while watching the movie.

Nevertheless, this competently acted movie is successful in presenting a very real account of the chilling, visceral torture meted out to the captives without being overtly gruesome and has a gripping and taut narrative which keeps the viewer tense throughout.