El niño oscuro

Nicolás Barsoff, a young Argentine actor of Austrian and Russian descent, rescues a box of film reels just as his father was about to throw it away. He hopes the box will be the key to unlocking a tendency toward darkness that haunts him as part of an inevitable inheritance he tries to combat with natural medicines. Through the archive, we delve into the story of a family torn apart by World Wars I and II, immigration to Argentina, and the military dictatorship of 1976. His two grandparents are presented as antagonistic characters in the context of the disappearance: two ghostly figures in a genealogy that Nicolás will try to reconstruct.

Directed by Mercedes Arias, Martín Farina, El niño oscuro leans on a strong ensemble — Nicolás Barsoff, Leandro Listorti, Ricardo Watson — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2024.