The Appeared (Aparecidos) (2007) is a Spanish supernatural horror movie based loosely on the Argentina Dirty War 1976-1983.
The Dirty War, from 1976-1983, was a seven-year campaign by the Argentine government against suspected dissidents and subversives. Many people, both opponents of the government as well as innocent people, were "disappeared" in the middle of the night. They were taken to secret government detention centers where they were tortured and eventually killed. These people are known as "los desaparecidos" or "the disappeared." Read more.
Synopsis: Malena De Luca (Ruth Díaz) and her younger brother Pablo (Javier Pereira) are traveling in Argentina. They are going to give their childhood home a final visit after visiting their comatose father in the hospital. Along the way, Pablo stumbles upon an old diary chronicling murder details committed 20 years ago. The siblings' journey turns into an unimaginable nightmare when the past and present seem to intertwine mysteriously. They begin to see manifestations of victims of those gruesome murders.
Following the trail of 'the disappeared', they discover that they are actually witnessing the murders of some of the 30,000 people who were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered during Argentina's military dictatorship from 1976 till 1983.
Okay, here's what I think about this movie. First of all, the cinematography is considerably good. Shot in Buenos Aires and Patagonia in Argentina, the country's beautiful and breathtaking landscape is impressive and enhances the movie's historical and supernatural theme.
About the storyline, the part about the past and present being intertwined is very interesting. You won't be able to guess the link between the siblings and the supernatural occurrences until the last 45 minutes or so of the movie. Subtle yet powerful hints that are dropped here and there along the movie lead to an impact-ful ending albeit being a bit unbelievable.
I find the ending bittersweet and emotional. The siblings may have survived the bizarre and traumatic incident but they will always have an eye upon the dead. It's kinda eerie and sad but the message is powerful.
Kudos to the Spanish filmmakers for such a thought-provoking and non-conventional movie!
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