Filmography
Latin America and Human Rights
Compiled by Deanna Kohrs and Sophia McClennen, May 2001
This filmography was created to help teachers, scholars and cinephiles identify films that relate to human rights issues in Latin America.
Note: Most of the films listed are feature films, but some documentaries are included. While extensive, this list is not exhaustive. Please let us know of any films we have overlooked. sam50@psu.edu
Part I: Films from Latin America
Part II Foreign Films on Latin America and Human Rights (click here to jump down)
Argentina
El ausente (1989) Director: Rafael Filipelli
Synopsis: Raúl Salas is the general secretary of a major union in Córdoba, Argentina who is trying to fight the union politics as best he can despite continual defeat. It is a time of unrest, around 1975, and Salas watches and hopes that what he builds will last. However, even the greatest of leaders can only do so much. (Summary written by Geoffrey Skinner)
Cerca de la frontera (1999) Director: Rodolfo Durán
Synopsis: Esteban is a journalist who is escaping to the northern border. In the Buenos Aires of 1978, his life is in danger. The threats after one of his articles in the newspaper and his own inner conflicts push him to run away. But crossing the border is impossible. He comes back to a village near the frontier, where he stays at Father Gabriel's, a priest with ideas and attitudes of mind far from the traditional church. There he will meet Marina and Margarita, who will complete this human group with strong convictions. His stay there will be a definitive experience. (Anonymous)
Diario de la guerra del cerdo (1975) Director: Leo Torre Nilsson Runtime: 83
Synopsis: Uses the metaphor of a national persecution of the elderly to critique issues of intolerance, prejudice and social oppression.
La historia oficial (1985) Director: Luis Puenzo Runtime: 110 Production Companies: Historias Cinematograficas Cinemania, Progress Communications
Synopsis: This film represents the “golpe de estado” in Argentina in the 1976’s. The film depicts the collapse of an Argentinean family when the wife of a successful businessman, Alicia, confronts the realization that her adopted daughter may have been stolen from a family of “los desaparecidos”. Ironically, her students at the university help Alicia face the real occurrences happening in her country.
Visit the link for this film in the Cinergía MOVIE FILES: La historia oficial
No habrá más pena ni olvido (1983) Director: Héctor Olivera Runtime: 80 Production Companies: Aries Cinematográfica Argentina [ar] ICA
Synopsis: A small revolution breaks out in a small Argentine town, as one group of Peronists calls the newly elected Peronist a communist. The newly elected official enlists the aid of allies ranging from the town drunk to young Peronists to help hold his post. What follows is a slapstick war with a serious message. (Summary written by Jeremy Hubble)
Lineas de teléfono Director: Marcelo Brigante Runtime: 18 Production Companies: INCAA
Synopsis: Vera lives in Argentina in 1978 during a dictatorial government. She is being persecuted. Ariel lives in the same apartment as Vera, but in 1996. Their telephone lines connect in between times and a very special story develops between them. (Summary written by Kurzfilmtage - international short film festival Oberhausen)
La patagonia rebelde (1974) Director: Héctor Olivera Runtime: 110
Synopsis: In the 20’s, workers in a province of Argentina went on strike for better job conditions. This movie describes the strike. While the military that investigates the strike decides that their demands are justified, the industrialists and landowners ignore the agreement. When the workers attempt to strike again, the landowners convince the government that this is a subversive act.
Pobre mariposa (1986) Director: Raúl de la Torre
Synopsis: In May of 1945, the news of the fall of Berlin spread to Buenos Aires. Clara is the daughter of a socialist leader named Boris who has died unexpectedly. As Clara learns more about a father she hardly knew, she finds out slowly about his political involvement during the war. There is some unrest in Argentina, and soon, not even Clara's life is free from danger. (Summary written by Geoffrey Skinner)
Los siete locos (1972) Director: Leopoldo Torre Nilsson
Synopsis: This film is an excellent dramatization of Robert Arlt’s novel, a study of the complex socio-political climate of pre-World War II Argentina
Solo y conmigo (2000) Director: Carlos Lozano Dana
Synopsis: A repressed woman, and professor of geography, prepares her godson (who comes from a military family) to enroll in a multinational business under the premise of leaving the country.
Sur (1987) Director: Fernando E. Solanas Runtime: 127 Production Companies: Cinesur (Envar El Kadri) Le Studio Canal+ [fr] Productions Pacific
Synopsis: After the end of the military dictatorship in Argentina in 1983, Floreal is released from prison. Instead of returning to his wife, he wanders through the night of Buenos Aires. He meets some people from his past - most of which are only imaginary – and remembers the events of his arrest and imprisonment. (Summary written by Joern Richts)
Veronico Cruz, la deuda interna (1989) Director: Miguel Pereira
Synopsis: A fascinating film from Argentina, Miguel Pereira's Veronico Cruz shows how the Falklands (Malvinas) war affected the life of an Indian boy from one of Argentina's most remote regions.
Visit the link for this film in the Cinergía MOVIE FILES: Veronico Cruz. Un lugar en el mundo (1992) Director: Adolfo Aristarain
Synopsis: In a sprawling ranching valley in Argentina, the lives of its inhabitants are forever changed with the arrival of a multinational company that dazzles the impoverished farmers with promises of wealth. Told through the eyes of a young man coming of age living with parents voluntarily exiled from Buenos Aires, the film is a poignant tale of the inevitable confrontation between traditional values and the inexorable incursions of progress.
Chile
Amnesia (1994) Director: Gonzalo Justiniano Runtime: 90
Synopsis: The story centers on Private Ramirez, an ineffectual soldier serving in the Chilean army during the 1960s. When Zuniga, Ramirez's brutal commanding officer, orders the execution of several prisoners of war, the private does not want to do it and his commander makes him suffer for his hesitation. Twenty years later, on the streets of Valparaiso, Ramirez meets Zuniga for the first time since they served together. While the commander is delighted to see a familiar face, Ramirez's first thoughts are of vengeance against the man who broke his mind by forcing him to engage in atrocities. He contacts Carrasco, and together the two concoct a scheme of revenge.
La frontera (1991) Director: Ricardo Larrain
Synopsis: A powerful film about the experiences of an “internal” exile sent to the south of Chile.
Mi último hombre (1996) Director: Tatiana Gaviola Runtime: 90
Palomita blanca (1973) Director: Raul Ruiz Runtime: 125
Synopsis: A young working class girl falls in love with an upper class boy who is part of the plot to assassinate General Schneider, head of the Chilean Army. Set in the frenzied period after Salvador Allende's election as president of Chile, it documents the political and social tensions created by the electoral success of a Marxist-led coalition, an unheard of event in world politics. (Summary written by Roberto Castillo)
Cuba
Manuela (1966) Director: Humberto Solás Runtime: 41 Production companies: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC)
Synopsis: During the last days of the struggle against dictator Fulgencio Batista, a young peasant woman joins the guerrilla in the Sierra Maestra.
Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968) Director: Tomás Gutierrez Alea Runtime: 97 Production companies: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC)
Synopsis: This film centers on the life of Sergio, a bourgeois writer who stays in Cuba unsure of his position in the revolution, yet unwilling to go into exile.
El Retrato de Teresa (1979) Director: Pastor Vega Production companies: IDP, Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC)
Synopsis: Represents the complex life of women living in revolutionary Cuba with macho husbands.
Mexico
Canoa (1975) Director: Felipe Cazals Runtime: 115 Production company: Conacite Uno [mx]
Synopsis: A group of students on a hiking expedition are accused of being communist agitators on the run from an army crack-down against student demonstrations in Mexico City. A priest rallies the townsfolk to lynch them. (Based on true facts in the town of Canoa in 1968.)
Rastro de muerte (1981) Director: Arturo Ripstein Runtime: 90 Production companies: Conacite Uno [mx]
Synopsis: During the 1930's a very honest man (Villamosa) is sent as Regional Delegate from the Capital City to Yucatan State (a very afar city). Once there he finds a deep corrupted bureaucracy, led by the Governor's Secretary (Torres). The Governor discovers this, he fires Torres, but then leads a military movement that ends with his own assassination. Torres offers the placement to Villamosa, treating him as a puppet. He accepts, trying to remove the corruption, but he finds more problems than he thinks. (Summary written by Michel Rudoy)
Rojo amanecer Director: Jorge Fons Runtime: 96 Production Companies: Cinematográfica Sol [mx]
Synopsis: October 2, 1968 in Mexico City. There's only ten days for the Olympic Games and a small student's revolt has turned into a major political turmoil. A meeting will be carried out that day in Tlatelolco (the largest housing complex in the city) and the situation is extremely tense. A typical middle-class Mexican family (living in Tlatelolco) will be tragically involved in the events, when the meeting is brutally interrupted by the army and hundreds of people are killed in the square in front of their apartment building. (Summary written by Maximiliano Maza)
La sombra del caudillo (1960) Director: Julio Bracho (I) Runtime: 129 Production companies: Sección de Técnicos y Manuales del Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Producción, Cinematográfica de la República Mexicana (STPC de la RM) a cargo de Rogelio, González Chávez
Synopsis: The movie situated in post-revolutionary Mexico describes the way politics were done in those times. Ignacio Jimenez is chosen as the candidate of the Partido Radical Progresista, but he isn't so sure about it, because he knows his boss, El Caudillo has chosen another candidate. Several political moves are done between the parties, leading to a thunderous climax. (Summary written by Marcos Villaseor)
Nicaragua
Alsino y el condor ( 1982) Director: Miguel Littín Runtime: 89 Production Companies: CRFC, Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC) Latinamerican Film, NFI
Synopsis: Alsino, a boy of 10 or 12, lives with his grandmother in a remote area of Nicaragua. He’s engulfed in the war between the rebels and government troops when a US advisor orders the army to open a staging area by the boy’s hamlet.
Peru
Anda, corre, vuela (1992) Director: Augusto Tamayo San Román Runtime: 90
Synopsis: In 1992, on a marginalized street of Lima (Peru), two teenagers - Gregorio (Marino Leon), and Juliana (Rosa Isabel Morffino) struggle to find a substitute or an alternative to the terrorism movement which surrounds them. (Summary written by Eliana G)
La boca del lobo (1988) Director: Franciso Lombardi Production Companies: Inca Film [es] New People's Cinema, Tomasol Films, Twinray
Synopsis: The military anti-terrorist army takes control of "Chuspi", an unknown and faraway small village, isolated by the terrorist group "Sendero Luminoso" (Shining Path). A soldier called Vitin Luna, and other young soldiers face an invisible, perhaps superior force. A brutal lieutenant who declares the entire village guilty of treason commands their unit. In the face of this crisis, Vitin must choose between blind obedience and his own conscience. (Summary written by El Abuelo)
Visit the link for this film in the Cinergía MOVIE FILES La boca del lobo. La ciudad y los perros (1985) Director: Franciso Lombardi Runtime: 132 Production companies: Inca Films S.A. [pe]
Synopsis: Four angry cadets have formed an inner circle in an attempt to beat the system and ward off the boredom and stifling confinement of the military academy, set off a chain of events that starts with a theft and leads to murder.
Visit the link for this film in the Cinergía MOVIE FILES: La ciudad y los perros. Alias ‘La gringa’ (1991)Director: Alberto Durant Runtime: 92
Synopsis: This powerful political drama follows the adventures and escapades of "La Gringa", a likeable criminal capable of escaping from any jail. When he escapes from one with the help of an imprisoned intellectual, "La Gringa", returns in disguise to help pay back the favor but finds himself caught in a prison riot. (Summary written by El Abuelo)
Pantaleón y las visitadoras (1999) Director: Franciso Lombardi Runtime: 142 Production company: Artistas Argentinos Asociados (AAA) [ar]
Synopsis: The Peruvian army captain Pantaleon Pantoja, a very serious and efficient officer, is chosen by his superiors to set up a special service of 'visitors' to satisfy the sexual needs of the soldiers posted on remote jungle outposts. At first unhappy about this assignment, he nonetheless puts his remarkable organizational skills in action and in a short time has his 'unit' running smoothly. In the home front things get complicated though; his wife dislikes his long hours and the secrecy surrounding his work, and he, despite being a dedicated husband, feels tempted by one (Summary written by Marcelo R.)
Venezuela
Amaneció de golpe (1998)Director: Carlos Azpúrua
Synopsis: The film follows the events of the night of February 4, 1992 in Caracas, Venezuela. That night a group of military rebels staged a coup d'etat. Venezuelans found themselves as virtual prisoners. As the coup starts, fighting takes place from a military base which is in the center of the city's most affluent areas, with both luxury high rises and palatial mansions. The area of La Carlota, where upper middle and upper class individuals reside, is among the most affected. There are often clashes between them and the military invading the area. The media, particularly TV and radio insist everything is under control, but the residents around La Carlota see a very different reality, right through daybreak (Amanecer) the following morning. (Summary written by Guy33134)
Golpes a mi puerta (1992) Director: Alejandro Saderman Runtime: 105
Synopsis: This tense political drama portrays crimes of oppression in vivid, human terms. A man hunted by military police takes refuge in a home shared by two Catholic nuns. Because the punishment for harboring fugitives is death, the nuns must grapple with their own social, political and theological issues as to what to do with their desperate lodger. An emotionally wrenching, powerful film that effectively depicts the moral dilemmas that have been faced by citizens in many of the fledgling democracies of South and Central America. Venezuela's official entry in the 1995 Human Rights Film Festival.
Part II: Foreign Films on Human Rights in Latin America
France
État de siege (State of Seige), 1973 Director: Costa-Gavras Runtime: 115 Production Companies: Cinema X [es] Dieter Geissler Filmproduktion [de] Reggane Films, Unidis-Euro International Films
Synopsis: In Uruguay in the early 1970s, an official of the US Agency for International Development (a group used as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods) is kidnapped by a group of urban guerillas. Using his interrogation as a backdrop, the film explores the often brutal consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerillas. (Summary written by Erich Schneider)
Germany
Der Lautlose Krieg (1989) Director: Rolf Coulanges Runtime: 79 Production companies: Amber-Film Rolf Coulanges
Synopsis: This film documents a war in Southern Nicaragua where a settlement of farmers during the Somoza government is attacked by the Contras.
Spain
Los ojos vendados (1978) Director: Carlos Saura Runtime: 110 Production companies: Elías Querejeta, Producciones Cinematográficas, S.L. [es] Les Films Molière [fr]
Synopsis: About the torture of a woman.
United Kingdom
Apartment Zero (1988) Director: Martin Donovan Runtime: 124 Production Companies: Producers Representative Organization, Summit Company
Synopsis: Set in modern day Buenos Aires, the film centers around a relationship between two emotionally crippled roommates. Adrian LeDuc(Colin Firth) is a lonely sociopath who is forced to rent his insane mothers room due to poor ticket sales at his revival movie theater. Jack Carney (Hart Bochner), the new roommate, appears normal enough at first but it soon becomes apparent that he is hiding something. As their friendship develops, Adrian suppresses his suspicions that Jack may be the government mercenary turned serial killer who has been terrorizing the city. The other eccentric residents of the building begin to worry as Adrian shows increasing signs that his mothers insanity may be hereditary. The shocking climax of this twisted tale of deceit, perversion and murder reveals the darker side of the human psyche. (Summary written by Kevin Jundt)
United States
The Burning Season (1994) Director: John Frankenheimer Runtime: 123 Production Companies: Home Box Office (HBO) [us]
Synopsis: Based on the true story of a Brazilian rubber tapper who leads his people in protest against government and developers, who want to cut down their part of the rainforest for a new road and ranch land. The rich and the powerful will stop at nothing, and frequently resort to murder. (Summary written by Rob Hartill)
Visit the link for this film in the Cinergía MOVIE FILES: The Burning Season.
Emerald Forest (1985) Director: John Boorman Runtime: 110 Production Companies: Christel Films, Embassy Pictures Corporation [us]
Synopsis: Based on a true story, Powers Boothe plays an American dam engineer in Brazil. Boothe's son (played by Charlie Boorman - son of director John Boorman) is kidnapped by a rain forest tribe, and raised as one of their own. Boothe continues to look for him and after many trials and adventures, stumbles upon him. (Summary written by A. Felhofer)
Havana (1990) Director: Sydney Pollack Runtime: 140 Production Companies: Mirage, Universal Pictures [aka MCA/Universal Pictures] [us]
Synopsis: Cuba, December 1958: The professional gambler Jack visits Havana to organize a big Poker game. On the ship he meets Roberta and falls in love with her. Shortly after they arrive in Cuba, her Cuban husband, the revolutionary Arturo, is shot on the street by the military and Roberta is arrested and tortured. Jack manages to get her free again, however he can't keep her from continuing to support the revolution. (Summary written by Tom Zoerner)
The House of the Spirits (1993) Director: Billie August Runtime: 140 Production Companies: Costa do Castelo Filmes [pt] House of Spirits Film, Neue Constantin Film [de]
Synopsis: South America before the second world war. The poor Esteban marries Clara and they get a daughter, Blanca. Esteban works hard and eventually gets money to buy a hacienda and become a local patriarch. He becomes very conservative and is feared by his workers. When Blanca grows up, she falls in love with a young revolutionary, Pedro, who urges the workers to fight for socialism. It is unavoidable that Pedro and Esteban are pitted against each other. Esteban tries to stop the love affair between Pedro and his daughter by all means possible but soon Blanca becomes pregnant and has a daughter. The void between father and daughter seems unbridgeable when Blanca moves in with Pedro. (Summary written by Mattias Thuresson)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) Director: Hector Babenco Runtime: 119 Production Companies: FilmDallas Pictures, HB Filmes, Sugarloaf Films Inc.
Synopsis: Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a homosexual, is found guilty of immoral behaviour and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he's in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another. (Summary written by Leon Wolters)
Missing (1982) Director: Costa-Gavras Runtime: 122 Production Companies: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment [us] Universal Pictures [aka MCA/Universal Pictures] [us]
Synopsis: Based on the real-life experiences of Ed Horman, this is the story of an American father of conservative background who comes to a South American country to search for his missing son, a political activist. Ed joins with his daughter-in-law Beth, who like her husband is politically polarized from the father, in prying through the bureaucracy and dangerous political intrigue in search of their son and husband. Little by little, the father comes to realize that his own beloved government is not telling him the truth. (Summary written by Jim Beaver)
The Mission Kill (1987)Director: David Winters
Of Love and Shadows (1994) Director: Betty Kaplan Runtime: 103 Production Companies: Miramax
Synopsis: Two lovers with a dangerous secret will risk everything they have for a chance at freedom.
Proof of Life (2001) Director: Taylor Hackford Runtime: 135 Production companies: Anvil Films, Bel Air Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment
Synopsis: Alicia hires a professional negotiator to obtain the release of her engineer husband, who has been kidnapped by anti-government guerrillas in South America.
Romero (1989) Director: John Duigan Runtime: 102 Production Companies: Paulist Pictures
Synopsis: In El Salvador, the new bishop speaks out against the death squads and the terror campaign the government is using in an attempt to crush the guerilla war that is being waged against them. This is seen as a disloyal act by the government, and the number of priests attacked increases and churches are shut down. Based on a true story, Romero continues to oppose the violence as the stakes are continually raised. (Summary written by John Vogel)
Salvador (1986) Director: Oliver Stone Runtime: 123 Production Companies: Hemdale Film Corporation
Synopsis: A journalist, down on his luck in the US, drives to El Salvador to chronicle the events of the 1980 military dictatorship, including the assasination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. He forms an uneasy alliance with both guerillas in the countryside who want him to get pictures out to the US press, and the right-wing military, who want him to bring them photographs of the rebels. Meanwhile he has to find a way of protecting his Salvadorean girlfriend and getting her out of the country. (Summary written by Tony Bowden)
Visit the link for this film in the Cinergía MOVIE FILES: Salvador. Under Fire (1983) Director: Roger Spottiswoode Runtime: 128 Production Companies: Dist. Orion Pics
Synopsis: Nicaragua 1979: Star photographer Russell Price covers the civil war against president Somoza. Facing the cruel fighting - people versus army - it's often hard for him to stay neutral. When the Guerillas have him take a picture of the leader Rafael, who's believed to be dead, he gets drawn into the happenings. Together with his reporter friends Claire and Alex he has to hide from the army. (Summary written by Tom Zoerner)
Multinational
Death and the Maiden (1994) Director: Roman Polanski Runtime: 105 Production Companies: Capitol Films, Channel Four Films (aka Film Four International)(aka Channel 4 TV) [uk] Fine Line Features [us] Flach Film [fr] Kramer, Le Studio Canal+ [fr] Mount, TF1 Films Productions [fr]
Synopsis: Paulina Escobar is the housewife to a prominent lawyer in an unnamed third World country. One day a storm forces her husband to ride home with a neighbor. That chance encounter brings up demons from her past, as she is convinced that the neighbor (Dr. Miranda) was part of the old fascist regime that tortured and raped her, while blindfolded. Paulina takes him captive to determine the 'truth'. Paulina is torn between her psychological repressions and somber memory, Gerardo is torn between his wife and the law, and Dr. Miranda is forced to endure captivity while husband and wife seek out the uncertain truth about the clouded past. (Summary written by Henry G. Herron)
Carla’s Song (1996) Director: Ken Loach Runtime: 127 Production Companies: Alta Films, S.A. [es] Channel Four Films (aka Film Four International)(aka Channel 4 TV) [uk] Degeto Film [de] Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen [de] Institute of Culture [ni] Parallax Pictures, Ltd., Road Movies Dritte Produktionen, Televisión Española (TVE) [es] The Glasgow Film Fund, Tornasol Films, S.A. [es]
Synopsis: 1987, love in time of war. A bus driver George Lennox meets Carla, a Nicaraguan exile living a precarious, profoundly sad life in Glasgow. Her back is scarred, her boyfriend missing, her family dispersed; she's suicidal. George takes her to Nicaragua to find out what has happened to them and to help her face her past. Once home, Carla's nightmarish memories take over, and Carla and George are thrown into the thick of the US war against the Sandinistas. A mystery develops over where Carla's boyfriend is, and the key to his whereabouts may be Carla's friend Bradley, a bitter American aid worker. She finds her family, the Contras attack, and she and the Scot face their choices. (Summary written by {jhailey@hotmail.com})
Men with Guns (1997) Director: John Sayles Runtime: 127 Production Companies: Anarchists' Convention, Clear Blue Sky Productions, Independent Film Channel, Lexington Road
Synopsis: High in the mountains of an unnamed Latin American country, an Indian woman tells her daughter the story of a doctor. The idealistic doctor believes that his finest accomplishment has been the training of seven young physicians who work with Indians in remote pueblos. He decides to visit them to confirm their good work but finds a world of guerrillas and soldiers very different from the one he imagined for his students. Soon accompanied on his quest by an orphan boy and a deserter, he finds that men with guns have reached his students first. Slowly he moves closer to the Indian woman, her daughter, and truth concerning his country which he has ignored. (Summary written by {jhailey@hotmail.com})
La peste (1992) Director: Luis Puenzo Runtime: France:146 / Spain:105 / USA:115 Country: Argentina / France / UK
Synopsis: In the 1990s, the South American city of Oran is rocked by the imminent outbreak of a plague. While many attempt to flee as the military close the city, Dr Bernard Rieux sends his sick wife away and does his best to care for the plague's victims. The plague means different things to different people: to the doctor, it's a disease to be cured. To a pair of French journalists, it's a breaking news story. To religious leaders, it's punishment for sins. As the sense of isolation and hopelessness grow, Dr Rieux and his associates begin to question their previously-accepted feelings of justice, loneliness, and love. (Summary written by Murray Chapman)
Solo (1996) Director: Norberto Barba Runtime: 94 Production Companies: Kinema Films de Mexico, Triumph Enterprises, Inc., Van Peebles Films
Synopsis: Mario Van Peebles stars as an android killing weapon designed by the military and utilized to enter into a Latin American war to destroy the rebels - natives fighting simply to maintain their freedom. Contrary to his programming, he develops an affinity for the villagers and decides to help them fight back. This lets his creators bring him back and ultimately leads to one of them being given more powerful circuitry to defeat him. (Summary written by John Sacksteder)
Tango (1998) Director: Carlos Saura Runtime: 120
Production Companies: Adela Pictures Alma Ata International Pictures Argentina Sono Film (ASF) [ar] Astrolabo Producciones [es] Beco Films Hollywood Partners Pandora Cinema, Saura Films, Terraplen Producciones
Synopsis: Buenos Aires, Argentina, the film tells the story of director Mario Suarez's quest to make the ultimate tango film. Lonely after his wife (one of the film's stars) has left him, Mario must find the themes that will hold the film together, while simultaneously permitting his musicians and dancers the freedom of expression that is necessary to satisfy the tango-hungry Argentine audience. Things become complicated when Mario falls in love with Elena, a beautiful and talented young dancer who is the girlfriend of the powerful and dangerous Angelo Larroca, an investor in the picture. His investors challenge Mario’s creative vision when he plans a scene that recreates Argentina's dark years of political suppression and "disappearances". (Summary written by Martin Lewison)
These filmographies are designed to provide students and scholars of Latin American, Spanish and Latino Cinema extensive lists of films organized around central themes. Please contact us with comments, questions or to submit a filmography: sam50@psu.edu
