- Between 1972 and 1975, the Brazilian Army sent thousands of soldiers on a secret mission to the heart of the Amazon Forest to exterminate the Araguaia Guerilla, Brazil's most radical opposition movement to the dictatorial Military Govt.
- Between 1972 and 1975, the Brazilian Army sent thousands of soldiers on a secret mission to the heart of the Amazon Forest. Its goal: to exterminate the Araguaia Guerilla, the country's most radical opposition movement to the dictatorial Military Government. Forty years later, the low-ranking soldiers who took part in the mission break the silence and tell their version of the story. Weaving together the soldiers' testimonies with tales of an exuberant and hostile Amazon Forest, director Belisario Franca plunges into the psychology of his characters to recreate the ghostly atmosphere of this Brazilian Vietnam. As the camera explores rivers, woods and scenes of a now serene riverside life, spectators are haunted by the memories of what they just heard: missing bodies, severed hands and heads, torture sessions. Given the officers' level of abuse, it's hard to distinguish the treatment given to soldiers and members if the guerrilla. In Brazil, the Araguaia Guerrilla has become a symbol of resistance against the dictatorship. But the "winners" - rejected by History for their participation in the event and by the Military themselves due to their controversial allegations - bear no glory. Their nightmares still haunt them. Many have turned to alcohol or heavier drugs. Others have committed suicide. The signs of PTSD are still visible in their faces. And the opportunity to tell their story carries hope for atonement. In the end, Araguaia Soldiers reveals itself as a shocking portrait of the terrors perpetrated by a dictatorial State and its consequences. By giving voice to the victims forgotten by war, it also offers a deep experience of compassion and transcendence.
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![Soldados do Araguaia (2017)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDc2YTExZGMtOTkyYS00MGMzLWI4OTAtOTk2NWY0ZGIzZjMyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTkxNjM5MTM@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)