Safe Return Doubtful

Last night I completed my duo of really long Argentinian dramas, both of which have been released recently. There’s been something of an outcry about films longer than 90 minutes in the last days. I listened to a couple of pieces on Radio 4 discussing it.

Long films are nothing new. Many films I remember going to see in the cinema my youth had intervals. Watching them at home, they can easily be split, even into successive nights. It made me think, especially in the case of the first film, Trenque Lauquen, whether it wasn’t considered releasing it as a six part series. Ultimately though, I agree with the director, it works best in two parts. In some countries it was issued as two parts. My review is in the archive here.

The Delinquents, or Los delicuentes, takes place in Cordoba, and the nearby Sierras de Córdoba. The first part concerns what I suppose is a bank heist, though it is a very gentle one. The emphasis is very much on making the jobs if the bankers look tedious. One of the tellers, Moran, hatches a plan to steal a large quantity of cash, hide it, admit to the crime, go to jail, and on release, enjoy the illicit gains. He co-opts a colleague to look after the money by hiding it in the mountains.

The theme of the film is the quintessential search for the perfect life, and where within that, is the place of money. It broaches many other ideas also, and puts me in mind of that classic Monty Python sketch in which an accountant, Herbert Anchovy, attends a career counsellor to change his job to be a lion-tamer. After an assessment, the councillor tells him the system have worked out the best job for him, and it is in fact, an accountant.

The film seems to have more bad reviews than good, with viewers complaining mainly about its length, and lack of action. I think to call it a heist movie, is a mistake, and gives a false impression of what it is, which is a well-written drama that unfurls steadily, and intentionally so. The spectacular images of the mountains contrast starkly with the dreary decor of the bank and the two protagonists houses, as do the performances of Elias and Bigliardi, who play the bankers, compared to the lives of the three people they meet in Alpa Corral.

I really enjoyed it.

IMDb score 6.7 / 10 – My score 8 / 10