Chronicle of an Escape

Directed by Adrián Caetano

This is one of the more suspenseful and gripping movies that I've seen in a very long time. Claudio (Rodrigo de la Serna) is a soccer player who is picked up one day by some men in Pinochet's Argentina. He is taken to a large house, where he is question, beaten, and confined for more than 100 days. Eventually, he and three other prisoners, some of whom actually were involved in anti-government activities, are able to escape. The events in the film are true.

The film does an excellent job of portraying the psychological effects of this confinement on the men, as some develop Stockholm Syndromed and others do little more than lie around and cringe.

The scene of the escape is taut and exciting, and utterly filled with dread. That two of the escapees later testify against the government is established at the very beginning of the film, but that knowledge worked to make me fear for the other two, as I expected disaster at any moment.

This is not an easy film to watch, but it is a rewarding one.