Konterr Brilliant and touching

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Claudio Carvalho In the 70's, the eighteen year-old Maria Fabiani (Antonella Costa) lives with her French mother Diane (Dominique Sanda) in an old house in Buenos Aires, subletting rooms and giving classes to illiterate adults in the slums. One of the tenants, Felix (Carlos Echevarría), has a non-corresponded crush on Maria. When the teenager is abducted in her house by the Argentinean army accused of subversion, her mother seeks her out in the 23rd Precinct where one of the military without uniform tells her that they are heading with Maria. While Diane desperately tries to find information about her daughter, Maria is submitted to torture in the hideous underground of the Garage Olimpo. Out of the blue, Felix and she meet each other in the interrogation room and Maria finds that he is one of her torturers. Felix protects Maria the best he can while the prisoner develops the Stockholm Syndrome to her hostage-taker."Garage Olimpo" has just been released on DVD in Brazil and depicts the dark age of Argentina in the late 70's and early 80's (and also in most South America – Brazil, Chile and Uruguay), when the military governments sponsored by the United States of America disrupted the human rights of the civilian societies and promoted coup d'état and takeover, toppling the governments elected by people. In Argentina, the common practice was the torture and subsequent death of the militants that were drugged and then dropped in the sea by military airplanes, with their children given for adoption especially in the period 1976-1983. In Argentina, the unofficial number of missing persons in accordance with Human Rights Organizations is about 30,000 people. In Brazil, the number of people arrested by the military government was between 50,000 and 70,000 and in the present days, after the amnesty that protected mainly the torturers, there are still 140 missing persons. Garage Olimpo shows this procedure through the relationship of Maria with Felix, and also the desperation of her mother. Later, the Argentinean mothers of missing people have become human rights activists and formed the organization "Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo" with the goal of finding their kidnapped children. Therefore, Garage Olimpo is a must-see especially for the youngest generations that might be not aware of the horrors of this period. The Brazilian DVD does not translate the last sentence in the movie accurately. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Garage Olimpo"

silviopellerani Bechis is a good example of the best Costa Gavras that you could ever see. This very dark Argentinian period is photographed with a very clean and doubtless hand. Do not leave anything pending, Bechis's position is quite clear and naked. The reality given by certain scenes could remember you some of those films shot in "film veritè" technique. The only critic that I could say about the film is that I would have prefer to get into deeper details of certain characters of the reasons why they decided to be torturers and follow certain life. A film that will not be forgotten, much less commercial than "Missing" of Costa Gavras. A fist in the stomach. Rating: 7

progosk It's a film that leaves pretty speechless. The director weaves subtle poetry into a story that is especially shocking because we all know that events that seem so impossible were (and are) tragically true. It's also interesting to read about Bechis' approach and working method (i.e. studio recreation of the "garage" rather than working in a location, use of "real" props, etc.).

attro If you like the Loach of "Land and Freedom" you'll love this film. Bechis forgot the stillness and the nihilism of Alambrado to direct a touching and tough film on Argentina's regime. A real good movie, I loved it, hope you will too!