On seeing and believing

In the film Argentina 1985, which was nominated for an Academy Award last year, there’s a moment I keep thinking of, replaying in my head on a loop. The film is based on the true story of the lawyers who prosecuted the leaders of Argentina’s military junta for their crimes against the Argentine people. These crimes include disappearing, torturing, and killing as many as 30,000 people (estimates vary). One of the lawyers comes from an upper class military family who view him as their black sheep for his left-ish politics and for going after their friends. The film has a melodramatic Hollywood type arc for all its attention to detail. In a mawkish scene near the end, the above mentioned lawyer’s mother calls him after listening to several days of the trial live on radio to tell him that she is on his side now. The testimonies of the victims have swayed her, she urges him to prosecute with all his power. At the end, evil is defeated and the music swells, although many of those found guil…