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Iluminados por el fuego More at IMDbPro »

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11 reviews in total

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62 out of 76 people found the following review useful:
Cruel and real, 5 October 2005

Author: gsavogin from Argentina

Iluminados Por El Fuego is a cruel and real story about a tragic war between Argentina and Great Britain, struggling for the Islas Malvinas in the South Atlantic. That was decided by Argentinean Military Government in 1982 in order to gain popularity among citizens trying to distract attention in a moment where Argentina was close to a civil war. Any strategic or tactic analysis of that tragic war will explain all the mistakes that put Argentina in disadvantage to win the war, but the movie itself shows the cruel reality that lived the 17 and 18 year old recruit soldiers, today still suffering war veterans. Iluminados Por El Fuego shows perfectly how the boys (because the were just boys) lived a war they didn't ask for, suffered a war they were not ready to face or fight, with almost no food, no weapons and no training. The movie shows how the boys of war became today's suffering veterans struggling to survive with no help, trying to live alone in a country that seems to be ignorant to the terrible reality they lived. Iluminados Por El Fuego is, 23 years after the war, the very first real important Movie about Malvinas War, a clear example of how human life can be so cheap.

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34 out of 43 people found the following review useful:
Malvinas war, 1982, 18 March 2006

Author: fedesoria from Argentina

The first real movie about Malvinas war, telling the cruel way the incompetent heads of the Argentinian army sent those boys to a war they didn't want to go. And the movie is short telling the real story, which was worst than it is depicted here. Frozen, hungry boys, fighting a war for keeping in their throne the decadent military government. Acting is of good standard. Gaston Pauls confirm his great moment, and the moods and language of the Argentinean military men is very well depicted. The war scenes are not so good, but you can feel the frozen wind in your feet when the soldiers are waiting for the enemy. No love to motherland, no hating the enemy, only waiting for an early ending, and back home to mom, girlfriend, and family. No special effects, no needing of it. You get involved with the characters, in a very special way. The storytelling is quite slow, but accordingly with the interminable waiting for the enemy, in that frozen tundra, with inadequate equipment. Iluminados por el fuego is not a documentary film for those interested in history, but a testimony of the useless suffering of those soldiers. Don't expect CGI and special effects as in "Saving Private Ryan". This is real life, and it hurts.

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16 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
A harrowing call against oblivion, 21 November 2006

Author: yduric from Switzerland

I just saw 'Iluminados por el fuego' at the 'Filmar en America Latina' film festival in Geneva, which takes places here every year and lasts about three weeks in November. Fist of all, I would like to say that I have read all the 3 comments posted so far and found all the three useful. What I would also like to say is that even here, people who had seen the film I talked to also felt like me that it was very strong and extremely intelligently made because, instead of depicting details of military operations, it really focused on the real drama, the drama of young conscripts who DID NOT want to go to war and were sent to a completely useless slaughter and the tragic aftermath of it. Another strong point of the film is that is also emphasizes the total lack of humanity of a bloody dictatorship, which, non content of having already killed about 30'000 people (I think this is the official number of the 'disappeared', and I heard there might have been more; anyway, anyone who might confirm or correct what I say here is welcome)could not, before leaving power, perform another final act of abominable criminal madness, which, in many respect, reminds of the criminal madness of the Nazis at the end of WW II in Germany,which also sent thousands to a useless death simply because they knew their time was over. This very war, which many people around the world tend to forget nowadays, is the final tragic demonstration of the Nazi-like nature of this military dictatorship, and it is even more disgusting to know that many of those involved in it have benefited from amnesty, instead of being sentenced to death by hanging like their models!!! This, I think, is one of the very reason why films such as 'Iluminados por el fuego' are important.

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9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Playing of War with Human Lives, 2 January 2009

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When the journalist Esteban Leguizamón (Gastón Pauls) receives a phone call from his acquaintance Marie, he goes to the hospital and finds that his former friend of the Malvinas War Alberto Vargas (Pablo Ribba) tried to commit suicide. Marie, who was married with Vargas, tells Esteban that the veteran Vargas has never recovered from the period he served in Islas Malvinas in 1982 and was extremely depressed in the last days. Esteban realizes that more than two hundred and ninety veterans from the war against the English troops had committed suicide and he recalls the tough period he fought in Malvinas with Vargas and Juan (Cesar Albarracin), reviving the ghost from his past and opening deep wounds he had forgotten.

In 1982, the Argentinean Military Government decided to send troops to retrieve the Islas Malvinas from England that occupied the islands in 1833. However the true intention of the military junta was to divert the Argentineans and increase their popularity, raising the sense of nationality with an ancient issue. The Argentinean soldiers were sent without the necessary supplies, suitable clothing, outfits and training, being easily defeated after two months of starvation, cold and fight against the British forces. "Iluminados Por el Fuego" shows the poor conditions of the Argentinean soldiers in Malvinas and the effect of this war in the young soldiers that survived the irresponsibility and cruelty of their leaders that decided to play of war, transforming them in psychologically destroyed men. Tristán Bauer certainly had a limited budget for the battles scenes, and he successfully uses a chaotic sequence to represent how these battles probably might have been. In the end, he gives a great anti-war message and states that the Isla Malvinas belong to the Argentinean people. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Iluminados Pelo Fogo" ("Lightened by Fire")

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10 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Realism and heroism, without glamour, 1 December 2007

Author: nicholas-rogers from Birmingham, UK

Not many war films are made about the terrors of the Falkland, or Malvinas, war. Neither are war films as poignant and thought-provoking as Blessed by Fire.

War films are so regularly hybrid with other genres, whether its romance, politics, bravery, historical drama, art, or even comedy. This can make them entertaining, such as Apocalypse Now, or silly, like Pearl Harbour. Done to make more sales, make a political statement, to boast a big budget or glamorise real warfare, it's always a gamble if the war film is worth watching.

I was pleased to have come across Blessed by Fire. I hadn't heard much about it but I was interested in watching a movie about the Falklands War. It's told from the Argentine perspective and based on the memoirs of the soldier, Esteban Leguizamón, played by Gastón Pauls. Twenty years after the war, Leguizamón is contacted to visit his old comrade Alberto Vargas (Pablo Ribba) who is in a coma after attempted suicide. Through flashbacks and newsreels, Leguizamón remembers the ill-treatment by superiors, how his friends would talk of their futures, families and livelihoods, their fear of the invading British armies, and the dank conditions they were living in. It also touches on the neglect soldiers face after the war from their government – bad pensions and no career options. What it does magnificently is touch on the mental horrors of war - the anger and psychological scars that war causes – and without a glamorisation in sight. Another political issue it touches on at the end is the live mines and rusting ammunition left over beautiful landscapes, and how nothing has been done to get rid of them. The political slant against Maggie Thatcher and her reasons for war are thrown in there – whether it's for good measure, I'm unsure. But the result of the war has tarnished political relations between Britain and Argentina for many years, and it is a sensitive issue, particularly for Argentineans.

It was a film made on a budget, so some of the acting is slightly amateur – but believable. The special affects are okay, but in moments of excitement, the lighting doesn't always make it clear what is going on. However, the sets are gloomy enough to be realistic and the photography of the Falklands is fantastic.

It's a symbol of what war is really about. Not the most exciting. But realism and heroism, without glamour. I give this film 9!

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Tristan Bauer : a truly great film from the director of Después de la tormenta (1990), 7 August 2008

Author: Lalit Rao (cpowerccc@yahoo.com) from Paris, France

Iluminados por el fuego is one of the finest anti war films.It is based on a book by Edgardo Esteban who fought at Falklands Islands as a soldier for more than 50 days.It is a sad tale of a journalist Esteban Leguizamón (Gastón Pauls) who is informed that his colleague at war Vargas (Pablo Ribba) has attempted to commit suicide as he was disturbed due to recurrent images of war.Esteban visits his colleague at hospital.This sad visit forces him to go back to the memories of the past.Argentinian auteur Tristan Bauer acquaints viewers with one of the most stupid wars waged at Falkland Islands (Islas Malavinas) in 1982 between Argentina and United Kingdom.Falklands war was horrendous for Argentina can be explained from the fact that it was responsible for the killing of more than 400 soldiers due to suicide.It is believed that some 267 soldiers lost their lives while they were defending the false pride of Argentina.Tristan Bauer shows us the madness of a futile war.His film proves that when a soldier dies, humanity also loses with him.Tristan Bauer is highly critical of Argentinian army generals who are shown as cowards.He tells that young soldiers have no choice but are forced to die for their motherland.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
An intense, fascinating look at the Falklands war, from the Argentinean soldier's POV, 15 November 2011
Author: runamokprods from US

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I fall between those critics who see this as a near masterpiece, and those who dismiss it as overly familiar and done better before.

An intense, fascinating look at the Falklands war, from the Argentinean soldier's POV, it begins with the attempted suicide of an ex-solider, which throws his war-time buddy into remembrances of the hell these men endured.

While the war may have seemed a silly little flare up about a bunch of rocks to most of the world, to the Argentinean draftees who lost their lives their limbs and their sanity in a futile, under equipped attempt to hold off a wildly more powerful British force was as real to them as Vietnam or Iraq or the coast of Normandy was to the men who suffered and died there. \

Indeed, through this film's eyes it was worse, because it was an absolutely pointless and quickly forgotten war, drummed up by the generals back home as a nationalistic exercise to take the country's mind off its faltering economy,

And then, in the ultimate ignominy, the men are sworn to silence about their defeat (and, presumably, abusive treatment by their own officers).

Any war where more of the soldiers die of suicide in the years after than on the battlefield itself is indeed worth examining.

The film succeeds in capturing the horror, confusion, and fear, although it doesn't quite get under the skins of the characters enough to make us understand on a visceral level. I was never bored, but nowhere near as deeply moved as I wish I had been.

Still, I would have rated this higher except for a stumble in the very last seconds of the film, where suddenly a burst of sentimentality and latent nationalism in the form respectively of a pop song, and a last screen graphic made me question if I had been giving the film too much credit for having an enlightened point of view.

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Factual Correction, 26 November 2011
Author: bollocks43

It would serve the reviewer better if those responsible for writing the reviews cold at least get the facts right. The Falklands war was between Great Britain and argentina. England may have contributed some troops to the cause but there where soldiers from more than just England involved. They came from all of The UK as well as Nepal,Australia and I believe even Canada. It is insulting to those involved to be referred to as English.

The incident where the Sir Galahad was bombed killed many Welsh Guards and injured many more. The final battle before the surrender was fought by the Scots guards. The Gurkas where about to launch an attack when the white flag was hoisted by the argentinians. The SAS who where there before the main landings took place have soldiers from many countries including New Zealand and Fiji.

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0 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
This is a sad epic movie, very emotional., 1 November 2009

Author: Hunky Stud from China

This epic movie is emotional and sad. Most war movies are about winners, but this one is exactly the opposite. I don't think that I have ever seen any movies made from Argentina, I hope that I can see more in the future.

Now, here are some of the problems of this movie. Some scenes seem to be too long, I lost a little interest in watching. For example, the night scene when they were running away from the British offense. There was no scenes about the British soldiers, so it seems as if they were just running away from nothing although it was quite bloody.

Scenes change from current time to the war time, it got a little confusing. Some of the scenes were too dark, i can't hardly see anything on my TV.

The condition which the soldiers have to live was horrible, if they had better equipment and food, they could have won the war. I feel sorry that Argentina lost this war. And it is probably interesting to see how each country calls that island. In China, that island is still named after the name Argentina uses.

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5 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Real bad movie, 21 January 2009

Author: Vargas from Bulgaria

In short: one-dimensional characters, not good actors, more a propaganda against this particular war than a real movie. Young conscripts portrayed as innocent boys who only want to play football, NCO's and CO's portrayed as sadistic, lazy, cowards, etc. It might be right, I know, but, come on! not only every war movie but every human group has good and bad persons in it (CO's, NCO's and draftees in this case). As a political opinion it might have some kind of worth but as a war movie, and a movie in general is real bad and underestimates the audience. The director is not bad, take a look to Cortázar http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109485/

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