The dark days of Argentina’s dictatorship return to haunt a man 30 years later in Back to Buenos Aires (Ritorno a Buenos Aires), director Marco Bechis’ brooding portrayal of the deep wounds left by a military junta that tortured and killed thousands of people during its brutal reign over the country. Powerful and well-played, if sometimes lacking in tension and plausibility, this Venice competition premiere should find additional slots in festivals and arthouses throughout Europe, as well as in Latin America.
Inspired by the Chilean-Italian filmmaker’s own personal histroy as one of the rare desaparecidos (victims of forced disappearance) to survive kidnapping and imprisonment in Argentina after the military coup of 1976, the movie is bolstered by a psychological and historical verisimilitude that reflects how intimately Bechis knows his subject. Where Buenos Aires occasionally falters is in a narrative that slowly but surely moves ahead without much suspense, while losing its way in a few unnecessary plot contrivances.
Back to Buenos Aires
The Bottom Line
A somber historical drama marred by some contrivances.
