Chronicle of an Escape (2007)

Cronica de una Fuga deals with true events in the history of Argentina during the "dirty war" of the seventies. These events having to do with the government, make up a very dark period in the country's history and do not offer much more than sad memories. The movie concentrates on the personal experience of Claudio, who was apprehended by agents and placed in a house together with many more kidnapped men. Caetano, through the use of different cinematographic techniques, makes it clear that the men are seen as inferior and are treated horribly. However, the movie provides the audience with much hope as Claudio strives to survive and does not give up whatever the circumstances may be around him. Moreover, team work which the prisoners develop as they are kept in the house, speaks strongly for the need of people to come together when times get tough. The movie overall is a good one as it concentrates on a positive aspect in the middle of such a negative situation. It is tough to make a movie about this dark time period and have it be an uplifting story in the end.

Let's see. An American nation is threatened by terrorists. For seven years, the government is headed by people who believe that extraconstitutional measures are required. They detain people based on suspicion (often false accusations by enemies) and torture them because they MUST know something. These are specially created places outside the normal criminal system. It is funded and approved from the White House in the name of combating out a global movement, using soldiers and "contractors."I've been watching movies based on this period. This is one made by Argentines, which adds something. Though the film-making is not particularly effective, it adds a genuine patina. What's disappointing about this is that though we get that the bad guys are genuinely evil men, we don't get the visceral impact of what happened. Really happened.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

What happened in Argentina in late 1970s is a matter of great shame.It was a time of universal sorrow as many ordinary Argentinians were troubled,harassed,persecuted and killed by roguish military regime which had absolute power.Argentinian film director Israel Adrian Caetano has depicted some of these unimaginable sufferings in his award winning film "Crónica De Una Fuga".He has based his film on four important protagonists who are imprisoned at a secret location on baseless charges.Buenos Aires 1977,is a name given to these people's hardships.As there is an escape involved,it might be said that "Buenos Aires 1977" keeps veering from drama to thriller.The drama part of this film is convincing as we get a chance to be a part of human suffering.it has been shown without resorting to a lot of striking scenes of suffering.It is in the thriller part that much of the film's action is located.As the drama part is rather slow,it is being felt that thriller part has handled pressures very well.Buenos AIRES 1977 is a nice film for those people who believe that the dignity of ordinary human beings should be preserved at any cost.

"Crónica de una Fuga" is not only an objective journey through Argentina's shady past, but also an engaging thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat.Uruguayan director Adrian Caetano, proves himself to be on of the leading filmmakers among the flourishing Argentinean film industry. The director of "Bolivia" and "Un Oso Rojo" is very precise when it comes to dialogues, and has an ability to acknowledge violence only by showing its imminence -the most powerful and cruel moments are achieved by creating a meticulous balance with the sound fields-.It is also worth mentioning Rodrigo de la Serna's performance, who after working opposite to Gael Garcia Bernal in "Motorcycle Diaries" managed to establish himself as one of the most talented Latin American actor of his generation.Set to be released around Jan. 2007, "Cronica" is an insightful thriller that should not be missed.