In the 1980s, Swedish mining giant Boliden dumped tons of highly toxic waste from gold mining in Arica in Chile. Cancer cases exploded, particularly among the indigent of the small desert town; birth defects rose. In 2010, Lars Edman and William Johansson exposed the scandal in their documentary “Toxic Playground”, inspiring a team of fearless lawyers to launch a lawsuit against Boliden. “Arica” meticulously follows the court case, while also researching the harrowing fate of the people affected. The film thus becomes a work of committed, self-reflective cinema that shows how film can become a means of collecting evidence, as well as evidence itself in an ongoing trial. Lars Edman was born in Chile and adopted to Sweden as an infant. Here, he functions both as director and protagonist. He testifies at the trial as a witness for the prosecution. Moving restlessly between Europe and South America, he battles for justice.