‘Argentina, 1985’ movie review: Argentina’s Oscar entrant is a timely reminder of the spirit of democracy
With an unusual screenplay for a legal drama, investing performances, and thoughtful use of music, the Oscar-nominated ‘Argentina, 1985’ is a look back at history that reminds the need for perseverance against the horrors of fascism
(Originally published in The Hindu on March 10, 2023)
They say that the fight is not in emerging victorious at the end of a battle, but in standing up after every battle, to once again put up a fight. Democracy needs that perseverance as well; while the fight to establish democracy is one thing, democracy fights for itself since birth and for eternity. At a time when democracies all around the world are facing new and old enemies, the Spanish political drama ‘Argentina, 1985’ is a look back at history that reminds the need for perseverance against the horrors of fascism. The famous ‘Trial of the Juntas’ that happened in Argentina in the ‘80s, after the seven-year-long military dictatorship ended and democracy was established in 1983, is the precedent that is shown here.
Seven months after establishing the government, Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla and several other commanders of the military are made to stand trial in a civilian court for several crimes against humanity, including kidnapping, mass torture, sexual assault, and murder of innocent men and women during the years of the coup. The Federal Court of Appeals’ sole prosecutor Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darín) and his deputy Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani) are faced with the mountainous challenge of prosecuting the case against the Juntas when there’s palpable unrest in the air and a lack of faith from many in the elected government. The pressure of prosecuting a case that can change the fate of a country aside, they also need to wage a battle outside the courtroom, against the men of the defendants and people who sympathise with the military and are made to believe that the guerrillas were only real enemies.
‘Argentina, 1985’ is not a typical courtroom drama. Even if the proceedings inside the court are what the individual sequences are resulting in, it’s more about…
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