Argentina 2001

Splinter

This film is a timely reminder that Argentina fails to learn from the past and illustrates in stark reality the catastrophic social consequences of economic mismanagement and corruption. With actual footage of the events leading up to the popular uprising on 19th/20th December 2001, this theatrical dramatisation shows a president, De la Rua, completely out of his depth and lacking in any leadership skills whatsoever. The acting and direction for a budget film such as this are top notch and one can literally feel the tension, frustration of the people and the horror of the police repression in the Plaza de Mayo and beyond. Behind the scenes, most of the 'actors' are so busy looking after number one that they fail to see the stark reality outside the comfort of the Casa Rosada or indeed the Quinta Presidencial as they bury their collective heads in the sand. Living in Argentina, as I do, I am well aware that this scenario could well be acted out again because the country is now in debt to the IMF to the tune of $60bn, which is not very far off the figure defaulted on in 2001. December 2001 was a time bomb literally in the making since March 2001 and possibly before. Today, that time bomb has returned and the lesson still hasn't been learned.