Argentine cinema has been depicting the country’s unique and frenzied economic woes since its very beginning. It has taken the form of social commentary, like Hugo del Carril’s Las aguas bajan turbias (1952), which depicted the poor labor conditions of yerba workers in Misiones. It has also recurred to laughter, like in the popular comedy Esperando la carroza (1985) about a low-income family’s hilarious meltdown during a Sunday family lunch as they try to find their lost grandmother.

Here’s a list of movies that depict Argentines navigating a litany of financial problems, from hyperinflation and debt default all the way to soaring unemployment rates. In addition to being great stories, they are also fitting ways to showcase one of the more unique skills Argentines possess: figuring out how to survive.

An all–time Argentine classic, Fernando Ayala’s film tells the story of Carlos Bonifatti (Federico Luppi), a first-aid box manufacturer who runs into Arteche, his old Army pal now-turned businessman, who offers him a dream-like solution to save his company.

The pro-market regime established in the late 1970s by the military dictatorship provides the context to understand the film’s argument. The result of these policies was a market flooded with cheap imports and high interest rates, which severely hurt local small businesses.

Any similarities between this 1982........

© Buenos Aires Herald