In 1984, federal prosecutor Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darín) reluctantly accepts the daunting task of leading the Trial of the Juntas against the leaders of the 1976-1983 military regime in Argentina. There’s no mystery why Argentina picked this film as their entry for the Oscars race. It’s a classic struggle between good and evil that borrows much of its dramatic structure from Hollywood; there’s even a climactic speech by our hero in the end, serving as the final blow against the junta’s leaders. A tense, engaging look at how the prosecution gathered their young team in the face of constant threats; attractive period details. 

2022-Argentina-U.K.-U.S. 140 min. Color. Produced by Victoria Alonso, Santiago Carabante, Chino Darín, Ricardo Darín, Axel Kuschevatzky, Santiago Mitre, Federico Posternak, Ana Taleb. Directed by Santiago Mitre. Screenplay: Santiago Mitre, Mariano Llinás. Cast: Ricardo Darín (Julio César Strassera), Peter Lanzani (Luis Moreno Ocampo), Alejandra Flechner (Silvia Strassera), Claudio Da Passano, Santiago Armas Estevarena, Gina Mastronicola.

Golden Globe: Best Non-English Language Motion Picture. 

Last word: “Respect for democracy was not in the hearts of many people at the time. They were afraid, and I can understand the feeling. They felt that the trial could provoke another military coup. Democracy was very young in Argentina, and the country needed to learn how to be a new democracy after the terrible years of these bloody dictatorships. It was not something we could avoid in the film, and I feel it in the characters. At some point, they’re afraid and not sure if they’ll succeed. Talking to the people on the real prosecution team, I learned that, at some point, it was such a big workload that they didn’t have time to be afraid. They needed to find the proof and ensure the witnesses were protected, so they had to dismiss their fear. It’s not that they were brave, they were working hard.” (Mitre, Pop Matters)