‘Argentina 1985’ could be Oscars surprise following Golden Globes win

The Golden Globes aired on Tuesday, January 10th, after a year of absence. The event was emotional, packed with long speeches and diverse winners. In one of the evening’s biggest upsets, “Argentina 1985” won best non-English film, beating out tough competitors like critical darlings and box office hits “Close,” “Decision to Leave,” and “RRR.”

As a Golden Globe winner, “Argentina 1985” now sets its sights on the Oscars.

The film is directed by Santiago Mitre and stars Argentina’s most notorious actor, Ricardo Darin. “Argentina 1985” is a historic legal drama based on the real story of prosecutors Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo who, after democracy is restored in Argentina, put the millitary on trial for its crimes over the course of the “dirty war.” This time period is one of Argentina’s darkest, where the government persecuted anyone associated with socialism, or the left. Between 9,000 and 30,000 people were killed or disappeared by the hand of the government.

While the Oscars have yet to announce this year’s batch of nominees, the added spotlight of a Golden Globes win will surely push “Argentina 1985” to the forefront, likely making it a shoe-in for a nomination. This doesn’t mean that it’ll win the Oscar for best international film, but it does give Argentina its closest bet to an Oscar since the year 2010, when the film “El secreto de sus ojos” won best international film.

“El secreto de sus ojos,” which translates to the “Secret in Their Eyes,” is also a legal drama that stars Ricardo Darin, and follows a novelist and a former prosecutor who starts digging into the past of a murderer and rapist, finding connections between the criminal and the country’s dictatorship. Like “Argentina, 1985,” its a film immersed in the country’s politics.

There’s no way of knowing what could happen come Oscar night, but “Argentina, 1985” is a historically accurate film that feels timely with our national and international political landscape. The country has a chance to nab another historic cultural win in the span of months.