Argentina, 1985 is a 2022 Argentine historical legal drama film produced and directed by Santiago Mitre. Written by Mitre and Mariano Llinás, it stars Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner and Norman Briski. The film follows the Trial of the Juntas, the 1985 trial of members of the military government that ruled Argentina under the dictatorship of the National Reorganization Process, during which the torture, extrajudicial murder, and forced disappearances of civilians was a systematic occurrence; it focuses on the perspective of the prosecution team, led by Julio César Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, including their investigation before the trial.
Work on the screenplay began around five years before the film's release. After reading the first draft of the script, Darín took the main role and became a producer on the film. Production company Amazon Studios joined the project once the script was finished and the casting determined. Filming began in June 2021 and wrapped in September, taking place primarily in Buenos Aires. The film was shot where the depicted events took place, such as the original courtroom at Tribunales.
Co-produced by Argentina, the United Kingdom and the United States, Argentina, 1985 premiered in the main competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2022, where it won the FIPRESCI Award from the International Federation of Film Critics. Theatrically released in Argentina on 29 September 2022 and in the U.K. and U.S. on 21 October 2022, it was a commercial success, debuting at number one at the Argentine box office and becoming the most-watched Argentine film of 2022. It received critical acclaim, and won, among others, the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film, and the National Board of Review Freedom of Expression Award. It was also named one of the top five international films of 2022 by the National Board of Review and received an Academy Award nomination for Best International Feature Film.
Plot
In 1985, Argentina has had a democratic government for less than two years after its last military dictatorship ended. Public prosecutor Julio César Strassera 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. 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, 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.
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 amongst the public.
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. Because the atrocities were committed across the country, Strassera and his team seek victims and record their testimonies. Meanwhile, he and his team face risks to their safety. Moreno Ocampo's family turn on him for going against their military history.
On the first day of the trial, 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. 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.
For his closing argument, 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.