“ORHonorable Judges, I renounce any claim of originality to close this indictment. I want to use a phrase that does not belong to me, because it already belongs to all the people. Honorable judges: “Nunca más!”. Never again!”. Thus concludes his speech Ricardo Darín – as the prosecutor Julio César Strassera – in TOArgentina, 1985. An ending that gets the applause (it is no coincidence that it has been earned the most convinced ovation at the Venice Film Festival), it makes the heart beat faster in this age of sad passions and, above all, it shakes from the sense of helplessness: with commitment you can apparently succeed in enterprises impossible. David can beat Goliath.
A historical process
No spoilers, of course: Santiago Miter’s film (from 21 October on Prime Video) reconstructs the Juicio a las Juntasthe historic 1985 trial (in fact): ended with life imprisonment for General Videla and the condemnation of four of his accomplices in the dictatorship that between 1976 and 1983 had bloodied Argentina (2300 political killings, 30 thousand “disappeared” opponents, disappeared).
“At the time – only 16 months after the return of democracy – no one was hoping for the result. The task was difficult: to demonstrate the responsibility of the military leaders in the torture and crimes perpetrated by subordinates. It was necessary to prove that they responded to a systematic plan of annihilation ” explains – via Zoom – Darín. “The Latin American Al Pacino” (copyright Quentin Tarantino) he knows what he’s talking about: he lived that terrible moment. Son of two theatrical actors – he made his stage debut at the age of 10 – at the time he was already a TV star: the film success would come later, culminating in 2009 with the Oscar-winning film The secret of his eyes.
“The dictatorship was a gash, a wound that doesn’t heal, no matter how hard we try. There is too much pain behind it, too many lost lives, too much barbarism, too much oppression that was slow to come to light: let’s not forget that state terrorism blocked communication, information did not circulate … Those atrocities changed everyone forever: several had to escape, several failed and stayed, and it turned out to be even harder than escaping. But it was also difficult to go through the previous period, in which the conditions for the rise of totalitarianism were created ».
“It hits me in the stomach”
A risk that remains current.
For this it is necessary to be aware that democracy is nourished and nourished every day with the contribution of each of us: the condition of “normality” can end. It is enough to take a 360-degree look at what is happening in the world to discover how important the impact of stories that speak of justice, dignity, truth, memory can have. The new generations need to know, they need examples. We don’t have to throw in the towel.
But does the artist have a social responsibility or must he be absolutely free?
In principle, art must be the realm of freedom. In some cases, it has the good fortune to turn into a “social vehicle”: It helps to make the head work and to warm the hearts. I am very fond of cinema intended as mere entertainment, but when you have the opportunity to intercept a political theme, it performs a double function. We actors feel that there is something more to our profession and this gives us a feeling of fullness.
Ricardo Darín, hero in spite of himself
On what basis do you choose the roles?
I don’t have an immovable criterion. If history moves me, it shakes me, it crosses me (rolls hands on chest)if it hits me in the stomach, I’m already starting to get interested.
What did you “go through” about the character of Strassera?
The story of his human dimension (the relationship with his wife, with his two children, the irony) and the arc of his evolution. The evolution of a normal man who became a hero in spite of him. At the beginning he has a low self-esteem, which however is strengthened during the hearings also thanks to the exchange with his younger colleague, Luis Moreno Ocampo (the actor Peter Lanzani, ed) and their team of enthusiastic young people.
Ricardo Darín with his team in “Argentina, 1985”.
“I’m from Veneto and Syrian-Lebanese “
The prosecutor is guided by a sense of duty, not vanity. Does it look like her?
All the actors have a lot of vanity! Ojalá (“Maybe” in Spanish, ed) I wasn’t vain! Ojalá I was not proud! Ojalá I could be as humble as I would like … It is not so. There is something intrinsic to the human condition that leads you to continually struggle against the Ego, the greatest enemy.
Ever been tempted to go to Hollywood?
I am not tempted to go anywhere. Hollywood, then, is an abstraction, a non-place. It’s not that you arrive at an address and Mr. “Pepe Hollywood” is waiting for you (laughs). Nooo, it’s limbo! Of course, I have not the slightest problem with American cinema, on the contrary, I am grateful to it: I have seen glorious films all my life. What “moves” me are the scripts, the ideas, the invitation to participate in a project, it comes from where it comes from. I have worked in Spain, in France, in other countries. The idea (fueled for many years) that the top, the top is represented by Hollywood, doesn’t make me lose sleep. There are other possible peaks, closer and better. For a long time we have been led to believe that to be successful, to be successful you must move to Los Angeles.
What does it mean to you to be Argentine?
(shrugs) Argentina is a mix of contributions from different latitudes of the planet. It held the doors open in the 19th century, during the First World War, during the Second for those human beings who in the world have to escape or are in search of a better life. This has made us a melting pot: I myself am for one side Venetian, for the other Syrian-Lebanese. The various immigrations – Italian, Spanish, Arab, Jewish – have formed the identity of this country. I feel deeply Argentine – and proud of it – because my arms are open. What I am not, on the other hand, is hyper-nationalist: I’m terrified of hyper-nationalists, they have often laid the foundations of barbarism.
Ricardo Darín with Penélope Cruz in “Everyone knows it”.
“The importance of being good”
Does it have an accompanying motto?
Yes: learn every day. To live is to learn. When one thinks he knows something, he is making a mistake. I like to watch the guys, the ones who don’t envision what they will be like in the future. Just today I read – I’m a tennis fanatic, I play a lot – an interview with Roger Federer, undoubtedly one of the best tennis players ever, after his retirement. To the journalist who emphasized his excellence as a sportsman, he replied: “It is very good to be important, but it is more important to be good”. I, like him, like to believe that I am a good person. By the way … Can I take advantage of the opportunity?
You’re welcome.
I would like to greet the branch of my family that is in Laggio di Cadore, in Veneto. They would have come to meet me in Venice, but I had too complicated an agenda and I wasn’t sure I had the space to see them, I didn’t want them to travel empty. Here, now I’m sorry I didn’t cut out some time.
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