Now are we excited again?: “Argentina, 1985” and the dream of the third Oscar

Santiago Miter and Ricardo Darín, director and protagonist of the film

There are three World Cups, three Golden Globes and three Oscars? for Argentina.

The Golden Globe for the best foreign language film for “Argentina, 1985”, the film inspired by the historic trial of the leaders of the last military dictatorship (1976-1983), was celebrated with a goal cry in a country that, embraced under the hymn of “Muchachos” he is still ecstatic about his recent triumph in the soccer world championship.

The film, starring actor Ricardo Darín and directed by Santiago Mitre, was recognized at the 80th Golden Globes ceremony held Tuesday in Beverly Hills, California.

This is the third award of this type for Argentine cinema, after the Golden Globe in 1986 for “La historia oficial” by Luis Puenzo and the statuette for “La mujer de las camellias” by Ernesto Arancibia, awarded in 1955.

Receiving the award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Miter said in English that “democracy is something we have to keep fighting for.”

Darín dedicated it in Spanish to the audience in his country. “After the World Championship, this is a great joy, I love you,” said the famous actor between laughs, while he was run by a little music that invited him to leave a stage where Sean Penn was waiting to enter.

The congratulations for the participants in the film were not long in coming and “Argentina, 1985” quickly became a trend on social networks.

“The Golden Globe is a new and enormous joy. Congratulations to the entire team that carried it out with talent, hard work, and commitment to our democracy. As #SantiagoMitre said, democracy is something we need to ALWAYS continue to fight for, ”wrote President Alberto Fernández on his Twitter account.

Like other award-winning feature films, “Argentina, 1985” ventures into the dark stage of the last military regime, this time showing the efforts of justice to punish in a civil court those responsible for the illegal repression that claimed thousands of victims.

The film could get more awards, since this Sunday it will participate in the international shortlist of the 28th edition of the Critics Choice Awards and is a firm candidate to be nominated for an Oscar for best international film, whose contending films will be announced on January 24, although the judges will begin voting today for the nominees with the fresh background of the Globes.

Two Argentine films have won the Oscar: “The Official Story” (1986) and “The Secret in Their Eyes” (2010), which address the marks left by military violence in the South American country.

“Argentina, 1985” received the International Federation of Critics award for best film at the Venice Festival and won the Audience Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

It is fundamentally based on the work of the prosecutors Julio Strassera (Darín) and Luis Moreno Ocampo (Peter Lanzani), who in 1985 dared to investigate the bloodiest military dictatorship in Argentine history, achieving the prison sentence of the hierarchs. military for multiple human rights violations. To fight this battle they assembled a young legal team.

Some 30,000 people disappeared during the de facto regime, according to figures from human rights organizations.

The historic trial began during the government of President Raúl Alfonsín, when the military forces still posed a real threat to the fledgling democracy. It was the first case filed by a civilian court against military commanders of a dictatorship.

“Argentina, 1985”, released in the country at the end of September, was a total success, attracting more than 700,000 viewers and becoming the highest-grossing national premiere of 2022. In addition, it contributed to reopening a public debate on the dark years of the military regime.

At the Oscars gala, in addition to the protagonists, former federal prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo could be seen, who even posed with the protagonists, Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani.