Rebellion in Patagonia

Héctor Olivera's 1974 Argentine film recounts the workers' uprising in Patagonia in 1920 and 1921 and its suppression. Workers gathered around an anarcho-syndicalist organisation strike for better conditions; when the situation becomes untenable, President Yrigoyen sends Lieutenant Colonel Varela to impose order. The result is hundreds of workers shot. The film rests on Osvaldo Bayer's research and brought to the screen a chapter of Argentine history long left unspoken. It won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, then was banned in Argentina after the 1976 coup and went unseen for years; Bayer had to go into exile. The cast of Héctor Alterio, Federico Luppi and Pepe Soriano is among the strongest of the period. Who it's for: viewers interested in Latin American political cinema and the history of the labour movement. Who it's not for: anyone avoiding scenes of mass execution, or expecting a neutral historical account.