Kamchatka

I watched this as part of a film festival 2 years ago and it still lives with me today. As tender and compelling a depiction of love within a family as it is an indictment of the atrocities of the Argentinian police state which left so many unaccounted for. Beautiful, measured acting and direction matched by the cinematography and scripting. The focus on the relationship between the father and his two sons is heart-rending - gentle, subtle details of their bond and love for each other heighten the sense of dread as the net closes in. The final scenes are real, devoid of Hollywood soft-focus sanitising. Behind this story are countless personal tragedies, the realization of which only serves to make the emotions flood deeper still within you. I saw this in Auckland, NZ, and at the end of the screening silence filled the auditorium. No one moved. A small group at the front, one with an Argentinian flag, formed a circle and held a silent prayer together. This is a film of real power, go and see it.

This film leaves you all possibilities to form your own impressions. From the beginning till the end there are no data which supply you information about the the characters, what was their fault, what did they do and what would happen after. Still, all these questions are automatically answered when one knows and realizes what was happening in Argentina. The close harmony in which the family lives, the game the father is playing with his son has a educational life value. He will learn how to manipulate and stand in the world when he has grown up. The decision to bring their children to their grandfather,the running after a leaving car, gives you all the reason to use a handkerchief. Who wants to leave his children behind? What will happen to the parents? It is amazing that still today, there are people like Mr Zorrequita who deny that this ever happened. They simply did not know??? Where have we heard this before? A beautiful film. TOP

Marcelo Piñeyro reveals all his quality in this touching story. Darin and Roth are a couple that have to escape from the dictatorship from Argentina, and in this run they must leave all their lives back. Who most suffer this lost are their childrens. The film is touching and emotive. The two child are excellente!!!

A dictatorship starts in Argentina, and Harry's family is against nowadays dictator, so, to avoid being killed, they have to hidden in a isolated place. How is this for a typical ten-year-old boy? how can cope with all the things that he is not yet unable to understand? This is the main point of the film, which is moving and interesting. Harry is the main character and he told us the story as he remembers it, so everything is from his point of view, the point of view of a kid that only wants to play and enjoy himself, but he can't due to his situation. The actors (all!) are perfect, with very specially emotive acting of Darin and Roth, how everything is going hell but they don't feel hopeless in any moment, they'll continue fighting until the end. as they take cover in Kamchatka, not the physical place, meaning and spiritual fortress, which is the place to resist, if you are there, anything can destroy you, because you will be free... The history is very interesting and it catches you from the beginning with a very great visual force that makes you to enter in the film and think what you'd do in their situation. As a bad aspects two thing to comment: You are not told what is happening in the world while the film starts, so you must know what happens in Argentina in 1978 in order to understand why are they hiding. In addition, and this is usual in Argentinian films, the rhythm is very very slow, which can bore some people. This time, however, the action demands to be slow, so it is not as bad as some other films. Tu sum up, a precious touching and interesting film of characters and great actors. Recommend to see it with something the dry your tears, they maybe came at some moments of the film.

An Argentine husband and wife move into hiding with their two sons and a friend of their's, but why they are hiding is never mentioned. You are only left to assume it has something to do with politics.

The story is more or less told in the older son's point of view --- and he really has no idea why they are hiding --- so I assume that is why the audience doesn't know, either.

The movie mostly revolves around the family bond they have and shows how a family can make it thru some very hard times when they're together.

it was a very enjoyable movie.