Corporate Accountability

Thousands of people were arrested, tortured, and murdered during the military dictatorship in Argentina from 1976 to 1983. The active involvement of businesses remained largely in the shadows until now. Jonathan Perel breaks the silence around the subject, drawing on the 25 case studies in a government document published in 2015 which detail the involvement of Argentinian and foreign companies in crimes against humanity.

Minutes-long shots through the windshield of his car showing factory complexes that belong to these companies—the majority of them clearly still in full operation—prove this is far from a closed chapter of history. The minimal visual information focuses full attention on the numbers, names, and other factual data read out from the report.

Lists of “subversive” staff members were handed over, and those who were arrested either detained on the premises or carried off in company vans. The film also explores the economic effects of what took place—disposing of the unions led to a rapid and  sizeable growth in profits for the companies. Gradually, a picture resolves of the oppressive relationship between state terror and big business.