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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Tuesday 25 OcTOber 2022

Keeping history alive in legal thriller ‘Argentina, 1985’

By LINDSEY BAHR ple who gave testimony in
AP Film Writer the trial and of course to
The 1985 Trial of the Juntas the people that were part
was a seismic moment in of the prosecutorial team. It
Argentina’s history, help- was very important for me
ing to solidify the coun- for not only for knowing the
try’s democratic future facts, but to understand
after seven years of mili- what they were feeling.”
tary dictatorship. But when He met Ocampo, por-
filmmaker Santiago Mitre trayed by Peter Lanzani in
started talking about mak- the film, many times, and
ing a classic political thriller Strassera’s son, who though
about the David vs. Goliath young at the time, was
trial, in which public pros- enraptured by his father’s
ecutors Julio Strassera and work. The supportive, en-
Luis Moreno Ocampo tried gaged Strassera family is a
former military leaders for main focus of the narrative.
war crimes, including the “They were all involved
torture and disappearance with Julio’s trial,” Mitre said.
of thousands between 1976 “It was something that was
and 1983, he was surprised very sweet.”
to learn that few of his Upon hearing about the
peers knew much about it. project, Ricardo Darín who
Mitre was only four years Director Santiago Mitre poses for portraits to promote the film “Argentina, 1985” during the 79th had worked with Mitre be-
old at the time of the trial in edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 4, 2022. fore wanted not only to
1985, but through his moth- Associated Press play Strassera, who died
er who worked in justice in 2015, but to produce as
her whole life he’d grown Mitre was certain that the torship fell. ceived constant personal well. Being slightly older
up hearing stories about personalities and drama of With a death toll that hu- threats, 833 witnesses testi- than Mitre, he remem-
the trial, its importance for the situation would make man rights organizations fied. Several of those testi- bered the trial well, and
Argentina and anecdotes for a great film in the vein estimate at 30,000, Argen- monies are used verbatim wanted to help younger
about Strassera’s unique of classic political thrill- tina’s dictatorship is consid- in the film to great dramat- generations who were
personality (grumpy, but ers like “All the President’s ered Latin America’s dead- ic effect. born into democracy in the
full of humor). Men” and “Judgement at liest of the 1970s and ‘80s. “It was super important to country understand what
Strassera was the veteran Nüremberg.” Less than half of the dead have direct contact with happened.
prosecutor who reluctantly “Argentina, 1985,” which is have been recognized at the people that worked “It was a very, very big
took on the case, fearful currently streaming on Am- the official level, however, on the trial,” Mitre said. “I deal,” Darín said through
for his family and himself. azon Prime Video, chron- because the military made spoke to as many as it was a translator. “Let’s not for-
Ocampo was younger icles the momentous trial, the bodies of most of its vic- possible for me, because get that a lot of people in a
and more idealistic, but which took place under a tims disappear. I felt that the film needed lot of parts of the society in
also risked alienating his cloud of extraordinary un- Across five months in the like to have this stronger hu- Argentina back then, they
own prominent family, who certainty and unease only courtroom, during which man perspective. I spoke had no idea of the horrors
had significant military ties. two years after the dicta- the prosecutorial team re- to the judges, to the peo- that had happened. q

Miko Marks draws on church roots

and bridges genres

By STEVEN WINE women who defy genre Steve Wyreman and Jus-
Associated Press boundaries. Her new album tin Phipps produced and
Miko Marks and the Resur- draws on gospel, the blues, wrote the material with
rectors, “Feel Like Going Motown, Memphis soul, Marks, and make distinc-
Home” (Redtone Records) Southern rock and more, tive contributions on mul-
Miko Marks created a buzz the result an auditory rain- tiple instruments.
last month performing at bow to match the visual “Let me ride, ride, ride to
AmericanaFest in Nashville, delight provided on stage the other side,” Marks sings
Tennessee, and her lat- by Marks and her band, the on “The Other Side,” and
est album is an engaging Resurrectors. Wyreman’s electric slide
encore. “Feel Like Going Marks never oversings, but guitar emerges to show the
Home” is also the follow-up every note is delivered with way. His frantic playing pro-
to “Our Country,” Marks’ fervor on such subjects vides an energetic push on
2021 album that marked as deliverance, persever- “Trouble,” a topical stom-
the revival of her musical ance, transcendence and per inspired by the late civil
career after a hiatus of empowerment. rights leader John Lewis.
more than a decade to fo- Her church roots are a uni- The song pairs passionate
cus on family. fying element, with sing- lyrics with an unspoken
Marks joins a welcome along choruses out of the message: The joyful mo- This cover image released by Redtone Records shows “Feel Like
Going Home” by Miko Marks and the Resurrectors
trend of recent breakouts choir loft and ballads as mentum of Marks’ music is Redtone Records via Associated Press
in country music by Black prayer. not to be stopped.q