This historical-romantic drama narrates the beginnings of Argentina’s famous couple, the colonel Juan Domingo Perón and the rising actress Eva Duarte, from the beginning of 1944 until mid-1945. The film reveals the impact that public life, particularly the dizzying conflicts between government factions, exerts over the pair’s intimate life. The film follows their relationship as it evolves from its beginnings at a concert benefitting the victims of the San Juan earthquake, through Perón’s detainment by opposition leaders, until the massive mobilization of workers demanding Peron’s release in the Plaza de Mayo. As the object of scrutiny from military leaders and members of the elite class due to her humble origins, Eva is not yet the grand first lady of Argentine history, but rather a young woman with little knowledge of political intrigue but a fierce determination to carve out a place for herself in this masculine world.

Vera R. Coleman

Arizona State University