Three years in prison or 20 years doing the same routine and pointless job? This dilemma movieCriminals’ By Argentine director Rodrigo Moreno. It is one of the few Spanish-speaking films to compete in any of the Cannes categories. This representative of the New Argentine Cinema is making its debut at the festival of festivals with its selection in the category. a certain look Also featuring Felipe Gálvez’ Chilean ‘Los Colonos’ – the second most important film. Not in the main competition spanish movie.
At first glance, the dilemma Moreno formulated – prison or alienating work? – has a fairly easy answer. According to traditional morality, no one chooses to commit a crime. I see it even less as a form of personal liberation. But this work like a prisonAlthough not very original, it is still very up-to-date. It resonates today, when the four-day week has more and more followers, or when the increase of the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 has sparked mass protests in France.
The dilemma between work and a freer life
“I was inspired by a 1949 Argentine film. ‘Not guilty’Moreno, 50, explains in an interview with EL PERIÓDICO from the group Prensa Ibérica in Cannes. It tells the story of ‘Los delinquents’, as in that mid-20th century thriller. two bank employees those who decide to rob their own assets. Morán and Román, played by Argentine actors Daniel Elías and Esteban Bigliardi, respectively.
But while in the 1949 game the banker emptied the safe to become multimillionaires, they now only get full pay for the 25 years of work they left out before retiring. Not a dollar more, not a dollar less. They do this to give themselves the same salary as before, even if they enjoy a freer and more idle life. Without an alienating job. “From this scoop I started to distort it and move it to an area that interests me more,” says Moreno, who is already interested in the subject. the dilemma between work and a freer life and many of his previous works, such as ‘El descanso’ (2002), ‘El custodio’ (2006) or ‘Réimon’ (2014), have been idle.
Play with the laws of classical and genre cinema
“I tried to make a heartless thriller. more existential space”, the Argentine director, who has competed for the Golden Bear in Berlin in the past, confirms this. His films were also screened at Toronto or San Sebastián festivals. Moreno claims he is willing to “play with the conventions of classical and genre cinema” such as thrillers. Something French filmmakers do new waveThe influence is evident in this Argentine film.
“Things about journal members that interest me Cahiers de Cinema This is how they revisit classical cinema to break the canons and create a cinematographic avant-garde,” he explains. “I emphasized the cinematographic language,” he adds, adding that the director of “Los delinquents” uses repetitive techniques in modern cinema. split screen or turns black. “HE the language of cinema is on the way to extinction. Currently only a few villagers speak this language and I think it is good to speak it”. “If it’s a political film, it’s in that sense first of all,” he adds, referring to his will to justify this cinematographic language.
Argentine auteur cinema and its influence new wave. At first glance, the cocktail seems synonymous with an abundance of ostentation. But in reality, one of the achievements of ‘Los criminals’ is that he doesn’t take himself seriously. leave space for funny and witty. It’s a long but enjoyable movie.
According to Moreno, “he wants the audience to succeed. spend three hours without looking at your cell phone (mobile phone) and enjoy the movie. That’s what his heroes’ quest for freedom is about.”