Director Santiago Mitre helms Netflix thriller set during dictatorship

Netflix has announced a new feature film by Argentine director Santiago Mitre, a political thriller set based on real-life events during the country’s brutal 1976-1983 military dictatorship.

The as-yet-untitled film will star Verónica Llinás and Peter Lanzani and is written by Mitre in collaboration with Mariano Llinás, confirmed the streaming giant in a press release.

Filming is scheduled to begin in March in Buenos Aires and its surroundings, said the media company in a statement.

Details about the feature are scarce, though Netflix described it as “a political thriller that portrays the infiltration of a high-ranking officer into groups that were peacefully beginning to organise to demand the release of their detained relatives, unaware that these small groups were giving rise to an unprecedented form of civil resistance in the very heart of the Argentine dictatorship.”

Unconfirmed reports in local media suggest the film may tell the story of Azucena Villaflor, one of the leaders of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo human rights group that emerged during the dictatorship.

Netflix said Verónica Llinás would portray “a mother searching for her detained son, a perspective that anchors the story in the experiences of those directly affected by forced disappearances.”

In Netflix’s press release, Llinás reflected on the challenge of portraying a mother searching for her son: “Starring in this film is an enormous responsibility and, at the same time, a privilege … it’s a story about collective courage, but also about very specific personal decisions.”

Lanzani has been cast as “the infiltrator,” a role that places him at the centre of the film’s moral tension, said Netflix. Speculation online suggests the star will play former Navy and military intelligence officer Alfredo Astiz, one of Argentina’s most notorious criminals who was convicted in the post-dictatorship era of mass crimes against humanity. 

Produced by Argentina’s La Unión de los Ríos and France’s Maneki Films, the project marks Mitre’s return to collaboration with Netflix following the international success of Argentina, 1985, another film related to the dark era. 

That film, which depicted the ​​trial of the military juntas, premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival and went on to win a Golden Globe for Best International Feature, as well as major Spanish and Latin American awards. It also received Academy Award and BAFTA nominations.

Unlike Argentina, 1985, which focused on institutional justice in the post-dictatorship period, the new film shifts attention to daily life under authoritarian rule. Mitre said his new film “reconstructs a real, specific moment, and does so from the inside, following ordinary people in an extreme situation. It does not attempt to encompass an entire era, but rather to observe how violence seeps into everyday life.”

The narrative is based on real events and adopts the structure of a thriller, emphasising betrayal, surveillance and the gradual escalation of risk, he added.

The film’s technical team brings together long-time collaborators from Mitre’s earlier work. Javier Juliá serves as director of photography, Andrés Pepe Estrada is responsible for editing, and Micaela Saiegh handles production design. Casting is led by Mariana Mitre and Katia Szechtman, with costume design by Mónica Toschi and sound by Santiago Fumagalli.

Netflix has not yet announced a release date or festival strategy for the film. 

– TIMES