''Clandestine Childhood'' () is a 2011 Argentine

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Benjamín Ávila and starring Natalia Oreiro, Ernesto Alterio and César Troncoso. Critically acclaimed, the film won ten awards from the

Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences The Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences () is an industry association in Argentina founded in 2004. Each year the Academy present the ''Premios Sur'' (South Prizes) for categories such as best fiction film, best director, best a ...

and five awards from the Argentine Film Critics Association, including the Silver Condor Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. It was Argentina's submission for the 2013

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

to be presented in February 2013 at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p ...

, but it did not make the final shortlist.As of 2025, the film has received a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 69% on the popcornmeter.

Synopsis

The story is set in the

Dirty War The Dirty War () is the name used by the military junta or National Reorganization Process, civic-military dictatorship of Argentina () for its period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983. During this campaign, military and secu ...

time period and during Argentina's last military dictatorship (1976-1983). A married couple, Cristina and Horacio, are

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

soldiers from Montoneros and are living in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

with their two children, Juan and Victoria. With the help of "Uncle Beto", they forge new identities and return to the country in 1979, with the aim of taking part in the leftist counteroffensive against the

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

. The movie takes the perspective of Juan, as he struggles to maintain a normal life at school given his new identity and the status of his parents as he sees glimpses of their resistance struggles.

Cast

* Natalia Oreiro as Cristina, alias Charo * Ernesto Alterio as Uncle Beto * César Troncoso as Horacio, alias Daniel * Teo Gutiérrez Romero as Juan, alias Ernesto Estrada * Cristina Banegas as Grandmother Amalia * Douglas Simon as Gregorio * Violeta Palukas as María * Marcelo Mininno * Mayana Neiva as Carmen

Production

The film is based on director Benjamín Ávila's childhood in Argentina (1976-1983); his mother was affiliated with the Montoneros and disappeared during the last military dictatorship. Photographs from Ávila's real life are also used in the post-credits. The actors spent several days with former Montoneros, to understand both the sociopolitical context of the time and the daily life of Montoneros partisans. Natalia Oreiro took part in the film before getting pregnant. She found that portraying the character was a difficult task, as the director wanted her to be both sweet and aggressive. Both Oreiro and co-star Ernesto Alterio criticized the tone of the film, pointing out that the parents exposed their children to situations that threatened their lives, and although the script does not explicitly condone the actions of the Montoneros, it is not critical of them, either. Natalia Oreiro is married to Ricardo Mollo, vocalist and lead guitar of the Rock band Divididos. Benjamín Ávila invited the band to provide the soundtrack if they liked the film. Although he does not appear on screen, Mollo played the guitar during a scene with Oreiro singing a song by the tango artist Enrique Santos Discépolo.

Reception

The film was ranked as the 8th most seen film in Argentina at the premiere. In September 2012, the film was sold to 20 countries. As of 2025, the film has had 18 wins and 22 nominations total.

Accolades

The film was submitted by the

to compete for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the

. It prevailed over '' El último Elvis'' by a single vote, however the film did not receive a nomination.

References

External links

Official website
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Infancia Clandestina
' at Distribution Company website {{DEFAULTSORT:Clandestine Childhood 2011 films 2011 romantic drama films Brazilian romantic drama films Dirty War films Films set in Argentina Films set in the 1970s 2010s Spanish-language films Spanish romantic drama films Argentine romantic drama films 2010s Argentine films 2010s Brazilian films