Directed by:
Adrián CaetanoCinematography:
Julián ApezteguiaComposer:
Iván WyszogrodCast:
Rodrigo de la Serna, Pablo Echarri, Nazareno Casero, Daniel Valenzuela, Alfonso Tort, Matías Marmorato, Lautaro DelgadoVOD (1)
Plots(1)
A true story of terror and survival from unique filmmaker Israel Adrián Caetano. Buenos Aires, 1977. A "task group" working for the fascist Argentine military govermment kidnaps Claudio Tamburrini, goalkeeper of a B-league soccer team, and takes him to a clandestine detention center known as Sere Mansion: a forbidding old mansion in the suburban neighbourhood of Moron. Claudio enters a living hell of interrogations, beatings, humiliations, betrayals. A nightmare world of lunatic arbitrary rules and relentless violence, mental and physical. Alongside other young detainees, he battles to survive while awaiting his fate to be decided. After four months of imprisonment, with execution seeming certain, Claudio and three other prisoners make their desperate move. Forcing open a window in the middle of a thunderstorm, completely naked, they jump into the void. Their flight into the future begins. (Cannes Film Festival)
(more)Reviews (1)
The main advantage of Caetano's film is not originality or the use of magical realism elements, which are so popular in Latin America. His film is also very distinct from the style of European art cinema, such as the French New Wave, which is often copied with varying success on the South American continent today. Finally, it is not a commercially appealing film, even though it deals with the phenomenon of violence and undoubtedly has commercial potential. The terror of the secret police and the humiliation of powerless prisoners, however, are portrayed in a way that resembles the methods of Michael Haneke - violence is not aestheticized or glamorized. The main advantage of the film is its maximum authenticity, a believable story that is actually a semi-documentary depiction of the real fate of a group of abducted and illegally imprisoned victims of a Latin American dictatorship. It is supported by a careful selection of environments, handheld cameras, and convincing performances by actors who are completely unknown to us. Buenos Aires 1977 is a compelling socio-critical film about an unfortunate person who accidentally became entangled in ruthless machinery and only managed to escape the worst through his own tenacity and lucky chance. From a thematic and craftsmanship perspective, it deserves five stars, although the ending is somewhat truncated. Getting out of prison is one thing, getting out of a city full of informers, police raids, and military patrol jeeps crossing the streets is another. Overall impression: 90%.
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