Director's Statement

I have always cared deeply about Argentina’s trials and tribulations, and above all about how our brutal and corrupt governments have affected the lives of people I love. Over the past 35 years the country has suffered a succession of political and economic calamities, but the greatest open scar has been left by the organized repression that happened after the March 24, 1976 military coup. Practically everyone knows of someone who disappeared, such was the scale. Argentina is still haunted by this period, and will be for a long time. We still don’t know what happened in thousands of cases. Who took them? Where were they taken? When were they killed? Where were their bodies disposed of? For the families there will always be a void. By telling their stories we can be by their side, letting them know that they are not alone. These are our disappeared.

I have often told my American friends about what happened in Argentina during those dark days, and have also touched upon in some of my films. People are always moved by these dramatic stories. But it wasn’t until now that I have felt ready to give my own account. The recent knowledge of my former girlfriend’s disappearance triggered this telling. I became the narrator, and my own personal story is intertwined with that of the people whom I knew that disappeared.

I have made a number of documentary films on social and historical issues which have given me the necessary experience to tackle this difficult story. So I felt well prepared to embark on this journey. But it has also been very emotionally charged. Talking with people about their deep losses and going back to the places where the repression happened was very moving. Most people I interviewed had not talked about what they have gone through publicly before, and I am very grateful for their trust.

I did six trips to Argentina for pre-production, shooting and post-production. With my editor and co-producer David Carnochan we edited for almost two years. Before finishing the film I showed it to the people who appear in the film, to make sure that I had done justice to their stories. I feel a deep responsibility towards them and towards our history, but ultimately these are only my views.

Another important aspect, on which we worked very hard, was to give the historical context for what happened in Argentina during the 70s. From the revolutionary dreams to the vast repression that followed. From Peron’s rise back to power to the junta’s deliberate elimination plan. The film touches upon issues that have been previously been avoided, like the violence from the left. But the film leaves no doubt that there was no equivalency between the actions of the left and the repression by the military, as posited by the “two demons” theory. The military represented the State of Argentina, and was obligated to follow the law.

By including the children of the disappeared the film shows that there is hope even after such an enormous tragedy, and that my friends’ legacy will live on for a long time. There could be no better homage.

There is a universality to this story. It is the story of what happens when brutal regimes are able to attack the fabric of a country with great impunity, causing enormous pain that lasts for generations. Spain has still not closed the wounds of a civil war that ended almost 70 years ago. Just recently the cases of 114,000 disappeared leftists have been opened. And the wars being waged at this time will leave wounds that will be no less painful or long lasting.