Imagining Argentina (film)

Imagining Argentina

Imagining Argentina film poster
Directed by Christopher Hampton
Produced by Michael Peyser,
Diane Sillan
Written by Lawrence Thornton (novel),
Christopher Hampton
Starring Antonio Banderas,
Emma Thompson
Distributed by Arenas Entertainment (USA)
Release date(s) September 12, 2003
Running time 107 minutes
Language English

Imagining Argentina is a 2003 film directed and written by Christopher Hampton. The movie was nominated for the "Golden Lion" award at the 2003 Venice Film Festival. The film is adapted from an award-winning novel of the same title by Lawrence Thornton.

Contents

Plot

The movie is set during the Dirty War in 1970s Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the military government is abducting those opposed to its rule. Cecilia, a dissident journalist, is kidnapped by the secret police to join the ranks of the 'disappeared'. Cecilia had earlier published a provocative article in her outrage over the disappearance of students protesting bus fares.

As her husband Carlos, a theatre director, begins to search frantically for her, he realizes that he has acquired psychic power that enables him to predict the future. This not only puts him in high demand by those who have also lost a loved one, it helps Carlos to foresee what happens to his wife and other detainees.

At one point, Carlos visits the Naval Mechanics School, the notorious torture centre.

The movie has graphic images of suffering such as the rape and torture scenes of Cecilia and her daughter Teresa.

The closing caption mentions that around 30,000 Argentines disappeared between 1976 and 1983.

Cast

In Order of Appearance:

Full cast by consulting Dutch FilmWorks [1]

References

  1. ^ Dutch FilmWorks B.V. [1](in Dutch)

External links