‘Criminals’
Manager: Rodrigo Moreno
Artists: Estebam Bigliardi, Laura Paredes, Daniel Elías
Premiere: December 1, 2023
★★★★
In recent years, a notable trend has emerged among filmmakers who experiment with genre in distinctive ways. Rather than simply blending categories or disguising one genre within another, these creators let the form evolve organically. They do not chase a traditional patchwork of styles or rely on gimmicks to signal a shift; instead, they allow the narrative and imagery to migrate fluidly from one mode to another. The result is a cinema that feels elastic, where what begins as a heist narrative can stretch into comedy and then settle into a reflective, almost pastoral mood. The approach recalls the impressionistic looseness associated with Éric Rohmer, yet remains decisively contemporary in its rhythms and concerns.
In this mode of storytelling, the film invites viewers to track the relationship between classic cinematic forms and modern sensibilities. The layering of genres is not a mere trick but a deliberate strategy to probe how audiences interpret tone, character, and motive. The tension between tradition and innovation becomes a throughline, shaping not only the plot but the visual language and pacing as well. The craft of composition, lighting, and editing works in concert to sustain a sense of wonder about where a story might go next, rather than signaling a fixed destination. Sounds and images mingle, guiding the audience through shifts in mood without sacrificing coherence or emotional investment.
Critics have pointed to examples like Argentinians’ emblematic explorations of genre fluidity and the way certain contemporary cinephiles embrace unexpected tonal pivots. The film at hand participates in this broader conversation by treating genre as a living spectrum rather than a set of rigid categories. The storytelling remains attentive to character and moment, ensuring that shifts in genre never derail the emotional core or the integrity of the narrative voice. Instead, these turns broaden the canvas, inviting deeper reflection on how memory, time, and motive shape human connections.
As the filmmaker navigates from one tonal space to another, the viewer is offered a tour through a spectrum of cinematic textures. The result is a work that feels both intimate and expansive, anchored by a steady attention to character arcs while letting imagery, setting, and rhythm do a significant amount of the talking. The interplay of classic references with modern sensibilities generates a dialogue about the enduring relevance of genre while acknowledging the freedoms that contemporary filmmaking can exercise. The film ultimately respects the intelligence of its audience, inviting interpretation without instructing it.
Video excerpt can be found at a designated platform, where the creators present a window into the film’s atmosphere and its evolving approach to storytelling. This material complements the critical reception by offering a tangible sense of the film’s tempo, mood, and visual language.
Enduring questions about form, imagination, and human behavior sustain the experience, encouraging viewers to rethink how a story can be told and how genres can converse with one another within a single cinematic experience. The result is a film that remains accessible while rewarding repeated viewings, as the shifts in tone and style reveal new layers of meaning with each encounter.
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