Saturday, December 5, 2009

Imagining Argentina

Antonnio Banderas and Emma Thompson star in this extraordinarily moving political thriller directed by Christopher Hampton. It tells the story of just one of the families of the 30,000 who "disappeared" during the military dictatorship of Argentina 1976 to 1983 Amnesty International keeps a record of those "politically disappeared" around the world. The movie was brilliantly compassionately acted. Such drama. The loss of family and the search for them. The lucky ones found alive, the others 'hidden' in mass graves or dropped far out at sea. It's despicable how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But the movie despite the horror and suspense, the danger and drama, has such depth and hope. It's inspiring.

And just today I was envying the people who never question authority but live their lives like 'happy cabbages', the term a friend calls them. Movies like this help to remind me that life isn't just consumerism. If we don't remember, as the Jews keep alive the memory of Auschwitz and the Nazi terror, then without vigilance we're doomed to see history repeat itself.

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