Netflix series revives search for OesterheldCEFR B1
22 Feb 2026
Adapted from Shannon Kirby, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Matias Jacobi, Unsplash
The Netflix adaptation of El Eternauta renewed public interest in Héctor Germán Oesterheld, the Argentine writer born in 1919 who wrote the original 1957 comic and a later version while in hiding. Oesterheld, four daughters and two sons-in-law disappeared during the 1976–1983 military dictatorship.
After the show's release, contacts to Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo rose sharply: people seeking help increased and many more offered information about possible grandchildren. Relatives placed flyers over show posters and used social media to ask specific viewers to contact Abuelas accounts.
Individual stories underline the loss. Fernando Araldi Oesterheld was one year old when his parents were seized. In 2010 the body of his father Raúl was identified by the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team in a cemetery, but Fernando’s mother and the baby she carried remain missing.
Difficult words
- adaptation — a new version of a story for another medium
- dictatorship — a government controlled by the military
- disappear — to go missing and not be founddisappeared
- identify — to officially find who a person isidentified
- forensic — relating to scientific methods in legal cases
- flyer — a small printed paper used for public noticesflyers
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How can a TV show or film help families find missing relatives? Give one or two reasons.
- Why did relatives put flyers over show posters and use social media after the show?
- How do individual stories, like Fernando’s, help people understand the impact of a dictatorship?
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