The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo have announced a sharp increase in the number of identity inquiries since the release of Netflix’s The Eternaut.

Calls, emails and messages are said to have soared from people wondering if they were appropriated as children during the last military dictatorship in Argentina. The show is based on the comic book by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, who himself has a tragic family history related to the time of the dictatorship.

According to information from the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo, between May 1 and May 7 they received 106 consultations on potential lost identity. In the same period of 2024, they had only received 18. One in ten consultations that the organization received since the start of the year through May 7 correspond to those after the April 30 release of The Euternaut.

The number of reports the grandmothers received from people who suspect they have information on potential child appropriations from the dictatorship era also saw a jump: between April 7-14 they received 21 reports, but from April 30 to May 9 they received 62.

“We knew the show would have some impact, but we didn’t expect it to be so much,” said Claudia Poblete, granddaughter of the Abuelas vice president Buscarita Roa. Poblete was the 64th grandchild found by the organization. “When people have the courage to reach out to the Abuelas, it’s the seed of the possibility of finding a new grandchild.”

The Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo have been searching tirelessly for an estimated 400 lost grandchildren for the past four decades. Only 139 have been found. Out of those that remain missing, two are grandchildren of Héctor Germán Oesterheld, author of the 1957 comic book The Eternaut.

The Oesterheld family was completely torn apart by the last military dictatorship. Héctor was kidnapped in April 1977 and taken to death camp El Vesubio, never to be seen again. His four daughters, and two sons-in-law were either killed or disappeared. Two of Héctor’s daughters — Diana and Marina — were pregnant when taken to death camps. Their babies are believed to have been born in captivity in late 1976 and late 1977.

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Although the show does not cover themes related to the desaparecidos from the last dictatorship or the appropriation of their children, Abuelas and H.I.J.O.S., a human rights organization that groups children of dictatorship victims, launched a campaign to publicize the search for Oesterheld’s lost grandchildren, as well as all the remaining grandchildren.

“If you were born in November 1976, or between November 1977-January 1978 and have doubts about your identity or someone else who was born on those dates, contact Abuelas,” said a post published by H.I.J.O.S. on May 3, accompanied by a photo of a The Eternaut poster with pictures of the disappeared and murdered Oesterheld family members plastered on top.

Poblete clarified that reports and contacts were “already on the rise” after two grandchildren were found in December and January. “Identity restitutions also have a very high impact on reports, as well as March,” the month in which Argentina commemorates the start of the 1976-1983 dictatorship. “Now, they are still on the rise, which is unusual and really good.”

“These cases are handled very seriously, because they are highly sensitive,” the restituted granddaughter said. “It takes a while to analyze each case and determine whether all the people who are calling were born within the timeframe that could mean they are grandchildren of the Abuelas.”

“This also has to do with The Eternaut’s premise: that it’s a collective thing, we are looking for all grandchildren that are still missing, including those of Héctor and Elsa,” she added.

Poblete also highlighted the importance of TV shows, movies, plays and other cultural productions to spark debate about these issues to “get things moving” to find new clues to restore identities, especially within the current political climate in President Javier Milei’s Argentina.

“At times we suffer from selective amnesia,” she lamented. “But Argentina tries to be a country that doesn’t forget, because there are many people committed to keep it that way.”

If you were born between 1975 and 1983 in Argentina and have doubts about your identity, contact the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo.