the audience applauded

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Absolutely Brilliant!

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I am pretty sure that it is not possible for someone other than an Argentine to make a film about this subject and have it matter. These are people who at the beginning of the terror supported it wholeheartedly. The military simply responded to what they saw was a terrorist threat by arresting without process and torturing. Starting small means starting; once you cross the line, everything else is trivial. And so 6 years of what ramped up to 3o police murders a day in Buenos Aires.So this thing lacks power as a story about Argentine horror. But even through all its faults, it still rings true and haunts about things at home: power corrupted and evil. Torture to protect citizens never does. The film is incredibly muffed, in pretty much all dimensions except...There are two good scenes. One is when the husband of the newly missing wife is comforted by his daughter in a somewhat sexual way. This was made for American consumption, and though the interaction may be genuinely Latin, the implication in this context is plain. It was a powerful scene and sets up all that follows.The second powerful scene is the unveiling of a spy. There is only a second that matters, when the man knows he is revealed and you see not panic but blame to his informant. It happens fact but it matters.Otherwise, what we have is a powerfully conceived set of folding narratives: a man as a playwright (precisely as in "The Lives of Others") in a film with deliberate dissonance. And him further as a psychic, telling the story to us and other characters as it happens to him. In other hands, this could have worked, especially with the intended fold from then there to now here.Tangos, l'exil de Gardel, was not good, but still better and at least genuine.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Not a masterpiece, but an interesting approach to the horror that cloaked Argentina during the 1976-83 military dictatorship, when people disappeared by the thousands, most being killed without leaving a trace. A great reminder of what civil rights are worth for. This movie drifts a little, to some viewers, in injecting a psychic element, however this too arguably gets some credibility within the setting, and does remind us of how impossible it would be to actually find the disappeared people. And, among those who survived, so many shattered lives! Anyway, the emotional impact is surely strong, and the disgust with the nazi-like characters in all kinds of uniform is something to be remembered. The most important here is to pay attention to history. Remembering is the one thing the real-life criminals are most afraid of. Even if they remain unpunished and everybody prefers to move on and forget, remembering is the right thing to do. As said on a line, the horror goes away only until a next time.

I was truly saddened as I watched this--as it hit me that the real tragedy of this time period was being used as a backdrop for a suspense story about a man who discovers his powers of clairvoyance. See "The Official Story" or "Missing," as another person mentioned on this message board, for a real sense of what happened.The gratuitous scenes of torture and death reflect a terrible lack of understanding of what went on in that country.The purpose of this film does not appear to be to shed light on any sort of reality of what happened, but rather to tell some sort of fictitious hero's story. It plays upon the deepest wishes of the victims of a tragedy for an outcome different from what really happened. Ridiculous and infuriating.

This was truly enjoyable movie in many ways.The acting was great all around. Powerful emotions were realistically portrayed by seasoned actors, relative newcomers and unknown extras alike. Direction, filmography and locations really come together to set a scene more realistic than most films even aspire to.This film succeeds in projecting, through the characters, the full range of emotions that any individual must feel when their freedoms are seriously undermined by a corrupt ruling power, the same power that they would normally look to to resolve such issues. This is not a feel-good movie, and anyone expecting comic relief at any time may be disappointed. This movie sets out to instill feelings in the audience that may help them to relate to the people in the story. It does not abuse concepts such as violence in order to get a kick out of the audience. Unfortunately, many of those who have posted comments on this movie have failed to grasp part of the point. This is not merely a movie designed to remind the viewer of the past. It intends to remind the viewer that such actions continue to occur worldwide, and that it is only the people themselves who can keep their governments from resorting to such inhumane measures, by reminding their rulers repeatedly that they will not stand for it, in their country or any other. Frankly, it disturbs me that films this deep go virtually unnoticed by the masses, while flashy but hollow explosion-fests receive awards.