80
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.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Boyd van Hoeij
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.
80
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.
80
Los Angeles Times by Carlos Aguilar
Rojo is a sophisticatedly entertaining reminder of our propensity for malevolent apathy.
75
It masterfully sustains a sense of “wrongness” that will be felt even by those unfamiliar with Argentina’s history.
80
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.
58
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
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.
80
Rojo is a witheringly provocative examination of temporary moral eclipse becoming permanent moral apocalypse.
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Kate Taylor
The detective plot is shaggy and never fully resolves itself, but the implications of the story resonate like a distant drum.
80
The New York Times by Manohla Dargis
Adopting a cool, oblique yet accessible approach that complements the washed-out, nicotine-stained palette, Naishtat builds a modular narrative that increasingly bristles.