A Cosmic Horror Film Centered on a Breaking Exposé Explores Questions of Memory and Truth in Argentina

What:

Historia de lo Oculto centers on the tense final broadcast of the fictional television late-night program 60 Minutos Antes de la Medianoche against the backdrop of 1987 Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We learn the investigative journalism show is at odds with current President Belasco due to its investigation into the president’s alleged corruption, occult ties, and assassinations,. Said investigation results in the show soon being cancelled due to political pressure.

Consequently, the show’s anchor and production team coordinate a last-ditch effort to publicly expose the dark underbelly of Belasco’s administration before their final segment expires.

The narrative is split among three groups — the show’s live television panel, its production team monitoring the broadcast from a mysterious safe house, and a lone assistant tracking down a valuable package on the streets of Buenos Aires. Each group experiences strange happenings as the team inches closer towards revealing the truth.

Why:

I would pitch this film as combination of All the President’s Men and Late Night with the Devil.

In other words, this is a heady, cerebral independent movie that keeps you engaged with a tight plot and cutting dialogue. It’s certainly not something you turn on for background viewing as it requires your full attention, but you will be rewarded with an excellent movie that punches well above its weight considering its modest budget.

I finished this movie in an afternoon and spent the evening mulling over its layers. It impressively explores questions of corruption and memory without explicit references to Argentina’s dictatorship and plague of forced disappearances. Instead, the film opts to explore these topics through a plot filled with investigate journalism and a spooky atmosphere of dark magic.

Overall, this is a concise, compelling movie for an advanced learner. It is may be difficult for language learning purposes because each bit of dialogue is so important to the plot, but I highly recommend this movie as your next watch if you can follow it.

How:

Historia de lo oculto has a runtime of 82 minutes (1 hour 22 minutes). It is currently available to stream for free on Tubi but with imprinted English subtitles. You can easily find a version without subtitles by searching on Youtube.