I won't take away from the movie, it was good and dramatic. But I was disappointed in the projection of reality of the subject. First, the reality of why people were disappeared was barely touched upon. They mentioned the word "subversives" but they failed to project exactly what that meant, at least in my opinion. The fact that even in Operation Condor, the U.S. was involved and Henry Kissinger gave his blessing with his own words pretty much telling the Videla's government, do what you must, we understand, but hey can't you keep it out of the news because the publicity is bad and we are trying to help fund you...that was missed. Also the fact that people were ASSUMED to be communist sympathizers, whether or not they were, was sort of swept under the carpet to focus on Antonio Banderas other skills. What I did like was the fact that they tied it to the Nazis and rightfully so. What I didn't like was the fact that at the end of the movie they failed to note how many American citizens have been "disappeared" or are doing time in our own concentration camp in Cuba.
I also was disappointed they failed to mention the babies that were taken from their mothers (which was a huge focus of the Abuelitos de Plaza Mayo) and sold to the high ranking soldiers or even sold to other wealthy people in various countries outside of Argentina. They only touched on the Wednesday helicopter rides, where people were thrown out to die. These things bothered me about the movie, because I think a movie of such relevant subject matter should tell the real story. Especially when it involved the death of so many innocent people. And I do believe it's time to stop making these incidents look isolated to individual countries and show how the Imperialistic values of a group of socialist Nazis has spread this mentality throughout the world and that's why the same practices are done all over. There is so much they could have done with this movie that wasn't done. Was it good? Yes. But it could have been great.
I also was disappointed they failed to mention the babies that were taken from their mothers (which was a huge focus of the Abuelitos de Plaza Mayo) and sold to the high ranking soldiers or even sold to other wealthy people in various countries outside of Argentina. They only touched on the Wednesday helicopter rides, where people were thrown out to die. These things bothered me about the movie, because I think a movie of such relevant subject matter should tell the real story. Especially when it involved the death of so many innocent people. And I do believe it's time to stop making these incidents look isolated to individual countries and show how the Imperialistic values of a group of socialist Nazis has spread this mentality throughout the world and that's why the same practices are done all over. There is so much they could have done with this movie that wasn't done. Was it good? Yes. But it could have been great.