Yesterday I went to see The Delinquents/ Los delincuentes, a new and quite divisive film from Rodrigo Moreno: some people love it and find it an existential exploration of the concept of freedom, so salient in Argentina today; others find its almost three-hour length and meandering narrative an unsupportable bore. I liked it very much. An accountant in a bank (Daniel Elías) calculates that he can steal double the money he would make working until he retires and only have to do three and half years in prison. Is the jail-time worth his freedom? He’s only working so he can afford his rent, his work clothes the odd toy and a measly 15-day vacation. Can he steal back his life? It’s significant that his boss in the bank is played by the same actor who plays the capo, Germán de Silva. One gets him to submit through one set of norms, the other gets inmates to beat him up. In order for the heist to work, the robber has to implicate a colleague (Esteban Bigliardi) in order to hold the money for him until his release, at which point they’ll split the winnings. The film operates within a whole series of doublings (two distinct people have the signature, the protagonists are called Morán and Román, Román meets a Ramón, are they in love with Morna or Norma?); Bresson’s L’argent is quoted liberally. The film meanders to appreciate horses, landscapes, the look of flowers and the flowering of sage; poetry is read and blues is played; it’s romantic and sexy and uninterested in a propulsive narrative. Yet, one also feels that everything one sees is a result of consideration and choice. The characters are good, kind, and almost sweet. A very different kind of heist film. My first impulse when leaving the cinema was that I had enjoyed the experience but didn’t quite get it – there were so many references to the current situation in Argentina through graffiti and poetry; I often genuinely didn’t know where the narrative would take us next – but was eager to get home, read the reviews and find out more.
It’s on at the Mockingbird for the rest of the week and I recommend.
Hugo Fregonese’s Apenas un delincuente, very different in style is nonetheless a clear inspiration.
José Arroyo