In the early scenes it is 1993 and Christina Quadri is at her fifteenth birthday party. Christina attends a Catholic school and enjoys all of the privileges of an upper middle class existence until one day she is called from class to meet a federal judge who informs her that, as a result of DNA testing, it has been determined that her real name is Sofia Lombardi and those who raised her from birth are not her real parents. There are several elements in this film that raise it above the typical entry in the "young person searching for their real parents" genre. For one thing, Christina/Sofia's plight is not the result of such things as mistaken identities at birth, adoption, or insemination by way of a sperm bank, but rather a willful act of what amounts to a government-approved kidnapping. For another thing, Sofia's parents did not die in some accident or suffer some early natural death, but rather were killed as dissidents during the dictatorial rule in the 1976-83 era.
The bulk of the film deals with Sofia's coming to terms with her real identity and her search for the grim details of her parents' fate. She is spurred on in her investigative endeavors by her friend Angélica who is in a similar situation. That aspect of the film plays out as a detective story. I wish we could have gotten to know Sofia's real family better than we do so as to better understand her ultimate decision to accept them.
Bárbara Lombardo, as Christina/Sofia, is well cast. She has the ability to communicate emotion through facial expression, but is also able to rise to the occasion when venting her frustration and anger in a verbal attack on her would-be parents. The entire cast is good, but I was particularly impressed with Mercedes Funes, who plays Angélica. Funes expertly captures the sadness and defiance of a young woman who has been forced to deal with unpleasant realities and demands to know the truth.
There is little doubt about director Gaston Biraben's political intent to expose the malignity and corruption of a repressive regime and it is a testament to his art as a filmmaker, and the power of film-making in general, that he accomplishes his goal by focusing on the personal rather than the historical. As an non-Argentinian this movie encouraged me to do some research and I came away from it with historical knowledge I would otherwise not have had--you cannot say that about many films.
The bulk of the film deals with Sofia's coming to terms with her real identity and her search for the grim details of her parents' fate. She is spurred on in her investigative endeavors by her friend Angélica who is in a similar situation. That aspect of the film plays out as a detective story. I wish we could have gotten to know Sofia's real family better than we do so as to better understand her ultimate decision to accept them.
Bárbara Lombardo, as Christina/Sofia, is well cast. She has the ability to communicate emotion through facial expression, but is also able to rise to the occasion when venting her frustration and anger in a verbal attack on her would-be parents. The entire cast is good, but I was particularly impressed with Mercedes Funes, who plays Angélica. Funes expertly captures the sadness and defiance of a young woman who has been forced to deal with unpleasant realities and demands to know the truth.
There is little doubt about director Gaston Biraben's political intent to expose the malignity and corruption of a repressive regime and it is a testament to his art as a filmmaker, and the power of film-making in general, that he accomplishes his goal by focusing on the personal rather than the historical. As an non-Argentinian this movie encouraged me to do some research and I came away from it with historical knowledge I would otherwise not have had--you cannot say that about many films.