Santiago Mitre, director of Argentina, 1985: “It is an interesting mirror to look at now that society is divided” – La Tercera

At one point he imagined a choral structure, with various subplots and characters intertwining into a larger fabric. That design did not last long: he soon decided that the real story demanded a feature film erected on a more conventional canvas and that would facilitate the connection with the viewer. Those keys ended up defining the gear of Argentina, 1985the film that from this week can be seen in local theaters and from Friday, October 21 on Prime Video.

“Because of the theme and the amplification that we wanted to give it, the film needed a simple language, to call it in some way, classic, that could communicate well with many types of audiences in Argentina and in the world,” explains Santiago Miter (Buenos Aires, 1980) in conversation with Worship.

Santiago Miter. Photo: Amazon Studios/Lina Etchesuri

Writing the script four hands with Mariano Llinás (The flower), the director insisted on building a judicial thriller with the ambition of summoning a massive audience, but one that was not captive to the conventions of the genre.

The history before them did not admit of failed raids. Miter approaches the so-called Juicio a las Juntasthe 1985 episode in which an unprecedented civil trial began against the high command of the military dictatorship that lasted in the country between 1976 and 1983. A process that began 16 months after the end of the regime and that faced threats and the resistance of multiple sectors, including representatives of the government of Raúl Alfonsín, the first of the democratic transition.

-What was the first impulse that ran through you before starting to write the script? At some point did he consider addressing another moment in Argentine history?

The truth is that no, this is the first time that I work on a real event. It came from films that dealt with political issues in a different way, about the behind-the-scenes exercise of power in different spheres. I always had a lot of admiration for the 1985 trial and it seemed like the right time to combine two things: work on justice and around a historical theme. It is very interesting to work on a true fact. The truth is that it was a great learning. Now it makes me want to take on other historical themes, but time will tell when.

In the center of Argentina, 1985 there are two characters who facilitate the putting together of the film: Julio César Strassera, a veteran official from the judiciary who was assigned as a prosecutor, and Luis Moreno Ocampo, a thirty-year-old lawyer who had military personnel in his family and was appointed deputy prosecutor despite never having played that role in his career as a lawyer. Both surrounded themselves with a group of young people willing to put their energy and knowledge at the service of the case.

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Photo: Amazon Studios

In a decision consistent with the magnitude of the project, the first role is played by Ricardo Darín, probably the greatest reference in Argentine acting, with whom Miter had already collaborated in The range (2017), the thriller halfway between the political and the psychological that he filmed in Chile.

“With Ricardo I have a friendly relationship. We are colleagues, we are friends, we see each other very often, he is a person I trust a lot, and when I started working on this film he was one of the first people I told about it. He immediately showed me his interest and his support, ”says the filmmaker of The student (2011).

Darín is also the producer of his new feature film (as is his son, Chino Darín), so his implication transcends his leading role on screen. “It’s not that Ricardo was chosen as an actor, but rather that we developed this film together and made it together,” he points out.

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Photo: Amazon Studios

-How would you describe the work with Peter Lanzani (Moreno Ocampo in fiction)?

He is a very young actor but he has made valuable films, and I really wanted to work with him. It coincided that there was something about his physique that could be close to the character that he had to represent. That made him not only the ideal actor because of his dramatic ability, but also brought together the physical. And he really wanted Ricardo and Peter to work together. It seemed to me that a good alchemy could be put together between them and fortunately that was the case.

actor of The clan (2015) and from the Netflix series The kingdomLanzani is part of the generation of Argentines who were not yet born when the Juicio a las Juntas took place. That is one of the main audiences to which the film is directed, which in its early days has dominated the box office in theaters in its country.

“Now the importance and transcendence of the trial of 1985 seems evident, due to the way in which Argentina was able to begin to rebuild its democracy based on a heroic trial and unavoidable courage. But I also realized that there were many people in Argentina who, due to the passage of time, did not remember it”, he points out.

“All of Latin America was governed by military dictatorships. The military still had a lot of strength, there was a large part of society that did not want the trial. But there were people who realized that a country needs justice to heal its wounds and managed to do this, which for me is an example that has founded a tradition of justice in Argentina. That beyond the setbacks that occurred in subsequent years, it still continues to this day. And it seems to me that it is also an interesting mirror for us Argentines to look at now, when society is divided and everything is so polarized”.

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Photo: Amazon Studios

-The film had a great reception at the Venice Film Festival and is the Argentine candidate for the Oscars. Until now, what has caught your attention the most from the international reception?

It worked very well in Venice, which is an event that brings together people from all over the world. The same in San Sebastian. I was happy to recognize that, by telling such an Argentine story, about the democratic transition, the film can connect with wounds that other societies have resolved differently. The Spanish talked about the film in a way that was almost their own. Seeing the democratic transition in Argentina helped them see what things did they do well and what things did they do wrong in the post-Franco periodand it seems to me that this happened with people who saw it from many places and with similar but different stories from Argentina.

We wish to give thanks to the author of this post for this remarkable material

Santiago Mitre, director of Argentina, 1985: “It is an interesting mirror to look at now that society is divided” – La Tercera