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Set in a small Argentinian town in 1975, the film depicts the life of a successful lawyer and prominent local leader, Claudio. However, his life takes a complicated turn when he gets into a quarrel with a stranger in a crowded restaurant.
Writer/director Benjamin Naishtat’s subtle, twisting, state-of-the-nation drama works effectively as a noir-like thriller, and as an exploration of a country that has lost its moral compass.
Grandinetti, with a bushy 1970s mustache, has the thankless job of carrying a film in which he plays a morally compromised character, which doesn’t directly warm him to the audience. But he does so with his trademark intelligence and grace, turning Claudio into a generally decent man who makes a few very bad choices.
Benjamin Naishtat directs with a steady hand and a strong vision. Pedro Sotero’s cinematography reveals the place and time in a respectful style that captures the period without satirizing it. This is a film that satisfies on every level and bears repeated viewings.
With each subplot reinforcing the simmering sense of unease, this compelling recreation of a pernicious period soberingly exposes the ease with which morality can become a casualty of human nature.
I was entertained and perplexed in a way that seemed intentional — my confusion a result of Naishtat giving his audience the credit to read into things with their own historical and political interpretations.
Adopting a cool, oblique yet accessible approach that complements the washed-out, nicotine-stained palette, Naishtat builds a modular narrative that increasingly bristles.
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WHAT ARE CRITICS SAYING?
Screen Daily by Allan Hunter
The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij
Film Threat by Bradley Gibson
Los Angeles Times by Carlos Aguilar
Slant Magazine by Chuck Bowen
Empire by David Parkinson
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
Variety by Jessica Kiang
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Kate Taylor
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis