Marco Bechis returns to dictatorship trauma with Venice contender

More than two decades after the Italian-Chilean filmmaker Marco Bechis's Garage Olimpo, his new film Ritorno a Buenos Aires examines the lasting impacts of Argentina's dictatorship on survivors in Venice Film Festival competition. The narrative follows Mariano Guerra, an Italian doctor who returns to his homeland after three decades to testify against the military officers who held him captive and enslaved him during the 1970s.

Drawing from his own experience, Bechis, who lived in Argentina as a youth, explores the complex relationship between survivors and their captors, as well as the nuanced perceptions surrounding the trauma and identity of those who endured such atrocities. The 70-year-old director, who traveled to Buenos Aires in 2020 to confront his past, emphasizes the difficulty of filming in a country ruled by an authoritarian regime.

Despite this challenge, Bechis chose to recreate key locations in the film to maintain artistic integrity. The film presents a thought-provoking perspective on authoritarianism and its lingering effects, alongside Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, both vying for the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival.