Santiago Mitre’s “Argentina, 1985”

Argentina, 1985 (2022)

Compelling and accessible true-life courtroom drama recalls the antifascist struggle of a group of prosecutors tasked with indicting key members of the military for their brutal campaign which resulted in the murder and torture of thousands

What’s surprising about this movie and just how accessible it manages to be while packing in a lot of information from the harrowing evidence behind the actual case to the family life of lead characters that feel so integral to the overall story beind told here. Telling the truth-based story of prosecutor Julio César Strassera(Ricardo Darín) who is tasked with building a case to prosecute nine high level military officials for their part in the torture and murder of thousands, it’s plays like a cross between a thriller and a courtroom drama while giving us a clear view of the strategy of our protagonists as well as an understanding of where the general public’s mindset rests and why.

There are hints of Brian De Palma’s “The Untouchables” here as the small team rattle the cages of powerful people and can’t trust the police, most authorities and even an Argentinian population largely ignorant to the insidious events of the recently collapsed military dictatorship.

It’s an accessible, engaging and broad ranging film that is particularly relevant today as countries lurch to the right in reaction to economic circumstances.