Though not yet confirmed, Argentina, 1985 stands a chance of being nominated for an Oscar in the foreign films categories. If that happens and the movie wins, it would be the third golden statue for Argentina, following The Official History (1978) and The Secret in Their Eyes (2009). Argentina has its own style when it comes to producing films, yet, like many other film directors and producers, Santiago Mitre has drawn part of the inspiration from Hollywood movies when doing his own. In other words, for those Oscar fans who like to watch every nominated movie, there is an appeal in Argentina, 1985 that no viewer should miss.
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Though heavily centered in one of Argentina’s most important events in recent history, there are reasons to watch it even if you aren’t familiar with the facts or just looking for an entertaining film to try. So, for Oscar fans out there, here is why you should watch it before we learn who the winners are on March 12.
It is a Typical Legal/Courtroom Drama
For those not familiar with the term, a legal or courtroom drama is a film genre that takes place in a courtroom. The movie’s plot revolves around an important case, and its resolution resolves the main conflict and usually ends the film. This subgenre derived from dramatic fiction has given us classics such as Few Good Men (1993), Liar Liar (1997), Erin Brokovich (2000), or The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). As mentioned before, Argentina, 1985 focuses on the first time that military leaders that participated in Argentina’s coup d’etat and subsequent government were judged by a civil court for allegedly participating in crimes against humanity in a systematic plan against its population.
A subgenre of this genre is the more personal legal drama (sometimes referred to as legal thrillers). The nuance is that these are more associated with a more introspective view of the lives of the lawyers in charge of the prosecution. Though some of the above-mentioned examples also fall into this category, the subgenre is more commonly-known from legal television shows such as Law & Order or The Good Wife.
Argentina, 1985 follows Julio Strassera (Ricardo Darín), Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani), and a group of young lawyers who defied the status quo of the time by working on this complex case. Part of the story goes into the team going after heart-breaking testimonies and how this affects their personal lives.
The True Protagonist Is the Public View
Despite the movie following the prosecuting team, the truth is that the story is about how the Argentinean population started coming to terms with what happened in the country between 1976 and 1983. This was a non-democratic government that tried to erase part of its population from existence in the name of a civil war against terrorism through a deliberate and systematic plan.
To tell the story of a shift in public opinion is not an easy task. The movie utilizes many elements: media representation of the time, and personal cases that could depict part of the public’s knowledge on the subject, to name a few. There is an interesting gradual tone in the movie in which individual characters slowly disappear to make way for a more collective protagonist: the Argentine society in the mid-80s.
It Has a Something for Everyone
Despite its dramatic tone, the film is not merely a tense 140-minute film. Like other memorable Oscar-worthy movies, it has some action, some comedy, and a fair amount of drama. The result is an entertaining feature that goes through various emotions, ultimately telling a movie-worthy story that happens to be based on real-life events.
The pinches of humor have a local taste, but most of them are familiar to every viewer. The facts behind the film are quite appalling, so the director Santiago Mitre does a good job of adding a respectful comedic touch that makes the most complex part tolerable without disrespecting the story.
For any world history buff who loves cinema, Argentina, 1985 deals with complex facts and exemplifying trials in terms of human rights, all in a very cinematic and engaging manner. Yet, understandably, some audiences reserve cinema for a more entertaining moment. Far from banalizing history, the movie finds the right balance between the cruel events that inspired the film. Watching it for its cinematic value itself will be worth your while, especially if it happens to win the Best Foreign Film on March 12.
