adlvcolt When it was announced the release of this film, it was an interesting proposal from the Argentine side because little or nothing of that time except the film "Los Chicos de la Guerra" based on the book of the same name with accounts of conscripted soldiers that fought in the war. "Blessed by Fire" was intended to do the same based on the story of an Argentinian soldier. Comrades of the Author loudly said that events portrayed in this movie are not true to what actually happened. Further, they said the author never was in battle and managed to replace his guard post by another soldier named Vallejos who dies that same night in the hands of the enemy. Of The South Atlantic War there are few films but what is regrettable is that this one was made with public funds and distorts real facts , showing how cowardly those who really were not is almost an act of treason promoted with taxpayer money. On the other hand, the British have made several films that tried to reflect what happened in those years, altering some facts as shown at the governor's house in "An Ungentlemanly Act to enhance the action of the Royal Marines but never altering facts to altered them fully. Another movie "Tumbledown" based on the history of the British Lieutenant Robert Lawrence is an excellent choice if you are looking for a film based on true facts and shows the real consequences of war delivering an universal message, it is safe to say that was highly criticized in Britain precisely not to glorify war and carried out by the BBC. Conclusion on "Blessed by Fire": Film to forget. I am still waiting a film from Argentina that portraits heroes and cowards but based on real accounts.

runamokprods 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.

Vargas 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/

fedesoria 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.