Argentina, 1985

Year: 2022

Duration: 140 min

In 1985, Argentina has had a democratic government for less than two years after its last military dictatorship ended. Argentina had been under military rule for 7 years before that. President Raúl Alfonsín orders a trial against all former commanders for crimes against humanity. Public prosecutor Julio César Strassera (Ricardo Darín) is chosen to make the government's case against the military junta for alleged crimes against humanity after the military courts declined to press charges. Julio lives with his wife Silvia (Alejandra Flechner) daughter Veronica (Gina Mastronicola) and son Javier (Santiago Armas). Susana (Paula Ransenberg) is Strassera's secretary. Julio knows that he is being arm twisted into taking the case, and he has no hope that the military commanders would be brought to justice. Julio knows that this might be a trap and that his family might be in danger.Ruso (Norman Briski) is Julio's mentor and says that this will be the most important trial of Julio's career. Julio does not have the option to refuse the case. The junta have retained the services of senior, experienced lawyers, while Strassera struggles to find lawyers to form his prosecution team. Strassera meets Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani), his assigned deputy prosecutor, but initially rejects his offer for help due to Ocampo's military family background. Strassera receives several death threats and is assigned a security detail. Leech and Ramiro find out that the man dating Veronica is married but is not connected to the Junta.Finding no other lawyers, Strassera accepts Moreno Ocampo's help. Moreno Ocampo, a professor, suggests that they look for young law graduates and inexperienced lawyers, as senior lawyers are unwilling to risk their reputations or safety to sign on to a trial that is so divisive among the public. Basile (Héctor Díaz) is one of the military junta's defense attorneys. Jorge Rafael Videla (Marcelo Pozzi), Orlando Ramón Agosti (Jorge Gregorio), Emilio Eduardo Massera (Joselo Bella), Jorge Isaac Anaya (Sergio Sánchez), Basilio Lami Dozo (Marcelo López), Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri (Carlos Ihler), Roberto Eduardo Viola (Héctor Balcone), and Armando Lambruschini (Jorge Varas)-the members of the military junta, are the defendants.Strassera and Moreno Ocampo interview and assemble a team, many of whom work in government offices and can use their access to materials to help the case. The team is assembled on 21st Oct 1984 and has till Feb 15th, to conduct their investigations and build their case. The hardest part is to provide proof that the commanders knew of the tortures and the kidnappings and were seen physically at the detention centers all over the country. Julio says that they will focus on proving that the atrocities were systematic and followed a pattern all over the country, which means it was coordinated from the top. Because the atrocities were committed across the country, Strassera and his team seek victims and record their testimonies. Meanwhile, he and his team face risk to their safety. Moreno Ocampo's family turn on him for going against their military history. On Feb 15th, 1985, 16 volumes with 4000 pages of evidence were submitted to the court in 709 cases with 800+ witnesses.On the first day of the trial on 22nd April 1985, the court receives a bomb threat, but Strassera convinces the judges that the trial must proceed. The trial is recorded by cameras and parts of it are broadcast around the world. Many victims of the junta testify about torture they endured or witnessed. Witnesses were repeatedly threatened, and Julio knew that there was nothing he could do to protect them. The court stopped issuing the daily list of witnesses, so the threats could stop. Adriana Calvo (Laura Paredes), testifies that she gave birth while kidnapped by the military government during the dictatorship. She says that she was in a car while the birth took place, the soldiers did not allow her to hold the baby. They took her to a marble room, where they made her clean the floors, naked, before allowing her to hold her baby. This is the testimony that eventually changes Ocampo's mother's opinion about the Junta. President Raúl Alfonsín invites Strassera to meet with him and informs him that he is keeping a close watch on the court events and was deeply moved by the testimony of the witnesses. Despite this, the Attorney General angers Strassera by intimating that he should be lenient with the Air Force. The Attorney General implies that Julio has to be careful while asking for sentences, as it is very easy for the Junta to take over the power again and shed blood.For his closing argument on Sep 18th 1985, Strassera realizes that he will have the chance to make his case not just to the judges in the courtroom, but to the people of Argentina and those around the world. With the help of his family, he composes an eloquent closing statement, ending: "Your Honors: never again!". The judges move into deliberations, and Strassera's team await the outcome.A dying friend Ruso asks Strassera for details of the final sentences. Strassera lies and tells him that all the generals received life sentences. Shortly after, Strassera learns that the court is sentencing General Jorge Videla and Admiral Emilio Massera to life imprisonment, General Roberto Viola to seventeen years, Admiral Armando Lambruschini to eight years, and General Orlando Agosti to four and a half years. 3 commanders from the Air Force were acquitted. Dissatisfied with most of the outcomes, Strassera begins typewriting an appeal. This was the first instance in history when a military dictatorship was tried in a civilian court.

Genre: Action   Biography   Crime   Drama   History