Garage Olimpo

As a person who suffered enormously at the hands of military establishment in Argentina, director Marco Bechis is the best person to know more about his film "Garage Olimpo". He wrote this film with his long time collaborator Lara Fremder who has already worked with him for three films. This film gives vivid details about what exactly happened in one of the torture cells in Buenos Aires where innocent people were subjugated to the worst forms of physical suffering. The film presents some good views of Buenos Aires as one gets to see big modern buildings on one side and shanty towns on the other side. On the surface level everything appears to be normal and it is only the relatives of the tortured people who are shown as facing tough times. Although the torture cell is portrayed in a detailed manner, Marco Bechis ensures that it does not become graphic. This is the reason why the torture is not at all glorified but merely depicted as one of the dirty tricks employed by the military to control its political opponents. The film is gripping as it shows that everybody is involved including the religious priest. One also gets to see that there are no loyalties and nobody could be trusted. It is towards the end that one gets a better idea of the evil designs of Argentine military establishment who chose to carry innocent people on its planes in order to drop them alive in the water. Despite having been chosen for "Un Certain Regard" section at Cannes International Film Festival 1999 and a theatrical release in France, this autobiographical film by Marco Bechis deserves to be known better as it carries the important message that human rights are important in order to stop the persecution of innocent people.