Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo

Film Review I Cecilia Sánchez-Harris The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Dir. Muñoz and Portillo (Argentina, 1985)

The Mothers Clamour for Justice

This film, of the New Latin American Cinema is in a documentary form and its intention is to inform, educate, as well as denounce and raise the consciousness of the public that watches it, regarding the abuses and violations of human rights that were perpetrated in Argentina during the years between 1976 and 1983, during which repressive military governments took over power as all-powerful and oppressive dictatorships. The principal subjects of this documentary, are the mothers of all the young people, all those hundreds and hundreds of men and women who were taken

prisoners by the military and never seen again. The mothers in this documentary are shown clamouring and protesting in the Plaza in Buenos Aires and they demand to know their sons' and daughters' whereabouts, after they disappeared from their homes, at a very critical and tragic moment in the political life of Argentina; a period in its history that was called, "The Dirty War." As a result of a personal and human crisis, this film presents the mothers organized as a group of women who share their common suffering, and which goes under the name of 'The Mothers of the Plaza.' As a group, they are determined, with almost an obsessive drive, to risk it all at one point when they first gathered, and at present to continue to meet religiously every Thursday at the same time, carrying placards with their sons and daughters' photos on them. They want in this way to make it known publicly to the citizens of Argentina as well as to the whole world, their passionate plea to the present government, to investigate where their disappeared children went, as well as the children of their daughters' who were born in captivity. It is a documentary that shows how the mothers are imploring for justice to be done, and to judge the guilty ones so that there is no impunity for those who were involved and perpetrated such crimes. It is through testimonials that the mothers declare with intensity of feeling and deep sincerity, their sad and heart-rending stories, of those moments they lived when their children, sometimes in their own presence, were apprehended by the military and taken away to never come back. These are the most moving declarations in the form of monologues, that take the audience by surprise and leave us with tears in our eyes. It is a film that has to be seen, and the likelihood is that it will not leave many people indifferent with what they see

Following the 1976 coup d'état in Argentina, a military junta seized power and began rounding up political opponents, many of whom were never seen again. These kidnapped people became known as the Disappeared, with the government's actions known as the Dirty War.

Lourdes Portillo's Academy Award-nominated documentary "Las madres de Plaza de Mayo" ("The Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo" in English) focuses on the mothers of the Disappeared and how they have spent years demanding justice for their children. The documentary interviews the mothers, who tell about their children, and also about how Argentina's political history led to the coup (and then how the junta's misguided invasion of the Falkland Islands brought it down).

This is one documentary that everyone should see. It's a profound look at Argentina's continued investigation into its history. Although it didn't win an Oscar, another production about the Dirty War did: "The Official Story", about a woman who discovers that she got taken away from her birth parents after the junta arrested them. Definitely see both.

I viewed this movie a few weeks ago and it had a great impact on me. This movie was produced in documentary form, which had a greater impact on the audience. This movie described the hardships that these mothers have endured since the kidnapping of their children. They use this movie as a way to educate the rest of the world on what was and is going on in Argentina.

This movie had a great impact on me, and it will have the same impact on anyone who views it.

I watched this film in a college course this semester. Along with watching the film the class read the book, _Circle of Love Over Death_. I found the film to be an excellent complement of the text. It gave wonderful testimonials by the mothers whose children had disappeared. The director did a great job of compiling different women to emphasize the theme. If you've read the book, see the movie. If you've seen the movie, read the book.