Marco Bechis Directs New Film From Unreleased Bernardo Bertolucci Script
- Thirty-three years after building a life in Italy, Mariano Guerra stepped back onto Argentine soil to face the ghosts of his past.
- Before its nationwide release, the film earned a coveted spot in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
- Returning to Buenos Aires forces the protagonist to confront deep-seated trauma that decades abroad failed to erase.
Thirty-three years after building a life in Italy, Mariano Guerra stepped back onto Argentine soil to face the ghosts of his past. Marco Bechis directs Ritorno a Buenos Aires, a feature film that arrived in Italian cinemas on Thursday, September 17, 2026. The narrative anchors itself on a singular, high-stakes mission: testifying against the former military officers who abducted him during the nation’s dark era of dictatorship.
A Three-Decade Exile Ends in the Courtroom
Venice Competition and the 2008 Timeline
Before its nationwide release, the film earned a coveted spot in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. Set in the year 2008, the story tracks Mariano as he walks back into the physical sites of his captivity. These are the very locations where he endured torture and forced labor. His upcoming testimony stands as a pillar of accountability, designed to expose the actions of the men who stripped him of his freedom and to document the regime’s violence.
Confronting the Architecture of Trauma
Returning to Buenos Aires forces the protagonist to confront deep-seated trauma that decades abroad failed to erase. On the ground, Mariano connects with fellow survivors. Each carries distinct marks left behind by state repression. For the characters, the legal proceedings quickly evolve into an internal reckoning. The journey is heavy with the weight of memory and the distinct survivor’s guilt borne by those who managed to outlive the terror.
The Lingering Repercussions of State Violence
Beyond the courtroom drama, the production broadens its lens to examine the heavy political repercussions of violence on everyday individuals and entire communities. The film presses hard on central questions of survival. It measures the profound disparity between those who managed to return and those who never made it back.