From 1974 to 1983, the Argentine military junta waged a brutal campaign known as the "dirty war" against its own citizens under the false pretext of national security. Tens of thousands of individuals from all social classes were labeled as subversives and systematically "disappeared"—murdered by state forces in a widespread campaign of terror.
Courtroom Footage as Historical Record
Ulises de la Orden's powerful documentary, The Trial, is composed entirely of courtroom footage from the landmark 1985 Trial of the Juntas. This historic legal proceeding prosecuted nine military officials, including dictator-in-chief Jorge Rafael Videla, for their crimes against humanity. The film stands as a profound work of preservation and remembrance, expertly edited from 530 hours of archive recordings.
Structure and Testimonies
The documentary is organized into 18 distinct chapters, each titled with a poignant phrase extracted directly from witness testimonies. These headings powerfully distill the barbarism of the military's genocidal tactics. Within the formal judicial setting, harrowing stories emerge from former detainees and relatives of victims, laying bare the methodology of state-sponsored violence and the collective trauma that spans generations.
As witnesses confront the court with their anger and pain, defense attorneys respond with feeble arguments cloaked in patriotism, often met with jeers and visible disgust from courtroom spectators. The editing maintains extraordinary precision, sustaining bubbling tension between multiple vantage points and groups with fundamentally clashing ideas of justice.
Focus on Survivors and Witnesses
The documentary deliberately centers on witnesses and survivors, most of whom are filmed from behind. This directorial choice proves particularly significant as many individuals break down while recounting past horrors. By obscuring their faces, the film lends dignity to their emotional expressions and deliberately de-sensationalizes their traumatic experiences.
These individuals are transformed from isolated victims into a powerful chorus of dissent and solidarity, directly countering the junta's systematic efforts to erase all physical evidence of their crimes. The preservation of this oral history serves not only as testimony to past injustice but also as a stark warning for future generations about the dangers of unchecked state power.
Availability and Significance
The Trial represents a crucial historical document that brings Argentina's painful reckoning with its authoritarian past to contemporary audiences. The documentary premieres on True Story beginning 24 April, offering viewers an unflinching look at one of Latin America's most significant human rights trials and the ongoing struggle for truth and justice in post-dictatorship societies.
