KAMCHATKA Latin Cinema Series

It’s easy to see why this was Argentina’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film-KAMCHATKA is an achingly wrought drama set against the backdrop of the coup in 1976.

Director Marcelo Pineyro’s wrenching story of children caught in the political cross-fire is told from the point of view of a 10-year-old boy, who, along with his little brother, is torn from his friends in Buenos Aires by his parents-a prominent lawyer and a scientist-to escape the bloody swath being cut by the military following the coup d’etat.

This is a heartbreaking film that is superbly written and acted. Ricardo Darin and Cecilia Roth are perfectly affecting as parents desparate to protect their children. And while the story’s historical context may be unjustly obscure, the theme of parental devotion and sacrifice is a universal one that can’t help but resonate with the viewer.