By: Miguel Ernesto Yusty

This is a film that will be a touchstone for anyone interested in cinema dealing with journalism. It will be so for its skillful storytelling and because it serves as a reminder of the ideals that give meaning to this profession. It brings to mind other films such as CITIZEN KANE (1941), SPOTLIGHT (2015), and THE INSIDER (2017), in which societal dramas are presented as a dialectical tapestry where deception and truth clash in an endless battle. The dilemma for these films is deciding which of the two sides will ultimately prevail.

THE POST is directed by Steven Spielberg, who uses his film to champion women as agents of social transformation. As he did with Whoopi Goldberg in THE COLOR PURPLE in 1985, Spielberg seizes the opportunity to argue that in a man's world, women with initiative must be doubly courageous. The lead actress in THE POST is Meryl Streep, who masterfully crafts moments of profound introspection through her precise use of facial expressions. Meanwhile, the camerawork and editing effectively hold close-ups until the viewer's breath catches in their throat, just as they grasp the profound drama the character is experiencing.

THE POST: THE DARK SECRETS OF THE PENTAGON is also a historical reconstruction film. It's another approach to the world of the 1970s, when the Cold War and Vietnam led the institutions of the United States to jeopardize the ideals that gave it meaning as a nation. Seeing how Hollywood periodically revisits this period, it's worth asking to what extent Spanish-language cinema is indebted to the historical genre. Although objectivity is a frequent obstacle in this type of film, these movies are a necessary text for bringing topics to the forefront of discussion, topics that stir memory and critical thinking in an audience eager for answers and willing to find them, regardless of the quality of the sources that provide them.