Plata Dulce can be considered the sister film of La Noche De Los Lápices for portraying the second half of the period of the Argentine dictatorship. This is due to the fact that both films take place in the same period of time, with the only difference being that Plata Dulce was an economic plan that was carried out after the phase of the disappeared ended. While La Noche De Los Lápices portrays the political part of the dictatorship, Plata Dulce focuses on the economic part and how it has played a role that not only began the fall of the dictatorship, but also the decline of the Argentine economy that to the current date it remains valid.
The story is a humorous drama that presents us with businessmen Carlos and Rubén who, due to deindustrialization, try to keep their factory afloat. While through an acquaintance, Carlos begins to reach the top, Rubén enters a tremendous economic decline. Through both characters we see a representation of how dollarization in Argentina has affected several industries of national products. To understand the context, it must be taken into account that the Argentine military government has tried to obtain the support of the United States. The reason why the dictatorship ended the stage of the disappeared was because the government felt that there were no subversives left and to avoid suspicions of violation of human rights that would spoil the opportunity to establish a link with the United States. The film begins with the 1978 world championship in which Argentina emerged victorious and was used as a means for the government to regain the support of the people. Then the government moved on to the dollarization plan to market products exported from abroad. The film does not explicitly show the process, but it does show a couple of clues about it. We see how Carlos manages to reach a high level of wealth with the dollarization business that he is involved in, but Rubén is plummeting. This is because the dollar was cheap and that benefited the foreign market so that many products exported from abroad were sold. The negative effect was that products of Argentine origin began to lose value, resulting in inflation. Rubén ends up becoming a clear reflection of how businesses that depend on the Argentine peso began to decline at that time. Carlos, on the other hand, is a reflection of how people linked to dollarization were reaching the top at the cost of those who remained in debt. When Carlos enters the business, there already seems to be a suspicion that he might just be a tool for something dirty that lies behind the business.
Beyond telling a good plot, having the legendary Federico Luppi and being an impeccable production, the greatest strength of this film that made it important at the time is that it unmasks the financial corruption that existed in the military government of the time and how it was affecting the Argentine economy. That already gave the people more reason to distrust the dictatorship and the end of this government would be complemented by the Falklands War. A war with which the dictatorship intended to regain the support of the people, but that led to several losses. The link with the United States was lost, young lives were lost, the war was lost and the trust of the people was lost, ending the dictatorship and bringing back democracy.
In conclusion, Plata Dulce is a notable film in Argentine cinema for its representation of the economic phase of the Argentine dictatorship. It earns a place alongside some Argentine cinema productions that have a value that is measured only by the strong connection they have with Argentine history. This is one of those films that you need to see to know the history of Argentina and the background that has caused its ups and downs. My final rating for this film is a 9/10.
