Country Focus

Synopsis:  The brutality of the military junta which ruled Argentina from 1976 through 1982 is examined from the viewpoint of a young boy in this downbeat drama. Nicholas (Mario Pasik) is taken from his home by his mother's twin sister after his mother is killed by right-wing forces who believe she photographed one of their political rallies in Buenos Aires. In fact, the sister actually took the pictures; she spirits him away to her home in the country, where he's enrolled in the local school where the social order of neighborhood bullies and kids who cower under their rule offers an eerie parallel to Argentina's political situation. Director Pablo Torre dedicated the film to the 30,000 people who "disappeared" during the junta's regime.