Chatter Box Film

This is a review for the 2025 film Belén; directed by Dolores Fonzi, which is releasing on Prime Video.

Set in the province of Tucumán, Argentina, Belén follows Julieta, a young woman accused of infanticide, and Soledad Deza, the bold lawyer who risks everything to take on her highly controversial, precedent-setting case. As the trial unfolds, Julieta’s plight becomes a flashpoint in the battle against a conservative legal system —sparking a groundswell of outrage and a growing wave of solidarity that transcends borders.

A film in the same vein of the Oscar winning I’m Still Here and its compatriot Argentina’ 85 focusing on a social injustice and the wrongs of society upon the individual; the film takes great pains to focus on the power and camaraderie of the community through demonstrations and peaceful marches.

A political film about social injustice depending upon what side of the argument for life or choice you fall, there is much to be said for this film as a women’s picture – directed and written by women, the strong moral characters it provide as the rallies get bigger so does the stakes for all involved. 

A well constructed film that seeks to show all sides of the arguments – there is a slow burn start when the tragic act occurs from the outset, our heroine is imprisoned and then the wheels of justice and appeals start in the second hour as the supporters ramp up their work as they get closer to the truth. The second hour has a gripping pace that is unrelenting as the truth becomes closer to the surface.

We as the audience are on this journey with them finding out things the same time, Soledad experiences threats to her life herself as well as physical pain and Julieta must overcome attacks in prison.

There are two telling moments in the film; the first occurs after a close call in a car crash, Soledad and Julieta have an exchange where the prisoner states ‘When I saw you on the TV, I knew you would get me out of here’ this moment brings to light what is at stake and this borrows from other wrongly imprisoned films such as In The Name of the Father where the strength to survive is there for one person to make true. 

This coupled with the other pivotal scene on a daytime talk show when Soledad engages in a discussion about abortion and gets hijacked by an uneducated panel who end up talking about pets instead – this film endeavours to educate those who are too ignorant to understand. 

With a whiff of homage to All The President’s Men in the shoe leather the ladies have to do to find the files showing the truth of the case against Belen – and how seeking to find the truth can bring danger upon those seeking it.

Shot modestly and at a humble distance from its protagonists, there is a stark stillness to the film like we are watching over their shoulders throughout prying upon their findings, all the while very much a part of proceedings. 

A film about women and civil rights, poverty, the justice system this is a film that is mature and intelligent; a dramatic film that is rewarding. This has been selected as the Argentinian entry as Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards.

Out in selected cinemas from 7th November, the film will then be available worldwide on Amazon Prime Video from 14th November.