The Judge and the General

The film opens with Guzmán's anguish as he watches supporters of Pinochet taunt opponents during the general's funeral in Santiago. The taunts trigger flashbacks to the Allende era, the 1973 coup, and the ensuing atmosphere of repression. This moment sets the personal stakes for his later investigations.

The documentary briefly revisits the chaotic years surrounding Allende's presidency and the 1973 military takeover. Guzmán and others recall the fear, violence, and political upheaval that shaped the national trauma. These scenes establish the historical context for the crimes investigated later.

As a young man, Guzmán served briefly as a clerk in the Court of Appeals during the worst years of repression. He recalls writing denials to thousands of habeas corpus petitions, many of which denied relief to victims. The memory reveals how he was blind to the crimes around him at the time.

Guzmán is depicted as the seemingly well‑meaning jurist who remained blind to the regime's crimes until chance thrust him into investigation. He confronts doubts about indicting Pinochet and about his own moral responsibility. The film traces his shift from denial toward critical engagement with Chile's past.

In 1998, Guzmán is chosen by judicial lottery to take on the first criminal cases against Pinochet. He begins examining murder and kidnapping charges and weighs whether indicting the former dictator is the right course. This moment thrusts him into Chile's reckoning with its past.

The film follows the Donoso case, a young sociology professor killed shortly after the coup. It shows the disinterment of Donoso's remains and his wife's account of his arrest, torture, and death. The investigation widens as testimonies connect the crime to a larger pattern of repression.

The narrative moves between past and present, linking Donoso's case to other victims and broader acts of repression. Witnesses place the crimes within the dictatorship's system, creating a larger tapestry for investigators to unravel.

The Chechi Castro case centers on her mother Edita and the moral dilemma of Sophie's Choice to reveal her daughter's hiding place. Investigators follow leads across multiple locations as they piece together how the secret police hunted the family. The case personalizes the era's brutality.

Among the locations, investigators travel to a boat off the Chilean coast where divers, using underwater cameras, search for evidence. They uncover traces of where the regime disposed of bodies, including rails tied to cadavers. The sea becomes a pivotal site for uncovering the truth.

The underwater footage provides concrete, visceral proof of disappearances and killings, turning long-suppressed memories into discoverable facts. It strengthens Guzmán's resolve and challenges lingering myths about the dictatorship's crimes.

Guzmán reflects that his investigation forced him to realize how blind he had been to the crimes around him. He describes the change as opening the eyes of his soul, marking a deep personal transformation in his approach to justice and memory.

The documentary shows colleagues, attorneys, and judges doubting Guzmán's competence and willingness to pursue Pinochet. The tension builds around whether indictments will come and what such actions would mean for Chile's historical reckoning.

By the end, viewers are left to decide whether Guzmán's pursuit of Pinochet justifies earlier doubts and whether indictments are or are not achieved. The story remains a meditation on memory, responsibility, and the cost of seeking justice.