A few years ago, I started work on a genealogy project to find out where my Italian family is now. One day, I accidentally came across some information on a cousin of mine who is a "desaparecido" (missing)in Argentina. It turns out that my cousin, Juan Carlos Martire, along with his friends, were subjected to the absolute horror and insanity of the military regime during the 1970's in Argentina. He and his friends were only 17 when they were kidnapped by the military and dragged off in the middle of the night to the concentration camp where they were tortured. My cousin and most of his friends who went missing with him were never heard from again.
Later on, I also discovered, totally by accident when searching for more information online about Juan Carlos, that this movie had been created. Eventually I got the guts up to ask the creators of it for a copy, and it was the smartest thing I could have done. I still feel shell-shocked by all of this after all this time, every time that I watch it. But the movie made me feel stronger somehow, because it let me know my cousin a bit better and helped me to understand even more just what happened to him and to his country. The interviews with friends, parents, and others, mixed with the amazing historical footage that I can guarantee I've never seen anywhere else as an American, are something that I urge everyone everywhere to see. Not just because it's about my cousin, but as a warning that this is what happens when the wrong people have too much power. I'm embarrassed that my country didn't have the guts to try to stop all of this-- in fact, some members of the U.S. government condoned it. PLEASE watch this movie if you can get the chance to.
Later on, I also discovered, totally by accident when searching for more information online about Juan Carlos, that this movie had been created. Eventually I got the guts up to ask the creators of it for a copy, and it was the smartest thing I could have done. I still feel shell-shocked by all of this after all this time, every time that I watch it. But the movie made me feel stronger somehow, because it let me know my cousin a bit better and helped me to understand even more just what happened to him and to his country. The interviews with friends, parents, and others, mixed with the amazing historical footage that I can guarantee I've never seen anywhere else as an American, are something that I urge everyone everywhere to see. Not just because it's about my cousin, but as a warning that this is what happens when the wrong people have too much power. I'm embarrassed that my country didn't have the guts to try to stop all of this-- in fact, some members of the U.S. government condoned it. PLEASE watch this movie if you can get the chance to.