Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

ehurst-3 I am flummoxed as to why people liked this film. I found it sickening and alienating. The upbeat music seemed totally inappropriate for the horrifying scenes unfolding before us and trivialised what was real suffering, violence and death that happened to real people. And I was particularly revolted by the juxtaposition of a sex scene interleaved with a violent kidnapping, overlaid with frantic music.The movie was confusing, too. I had hoped to be given some context of the political scene in Argentina in which this crime arose, but we were plunged right into the thick of things via a series of flashbacks and disconnected scenes which we were expected to piece together (while madly reading subtitles, for those of us who don't speak Spanish). Only near the end do we discover, casually, that Puccio was connected to the Intelligence services, and his history with them is never fully explained.I felt relieved when the movie drew to a close and the perpetrators were caught. It was at this point that Puccio revealed his truly revolting narcissism and manipulativeness. I had felt repelled by him throughout, but by the end I just felt glad to be shot of him and his whole morally dubious family.

MortalKombatFan1 Near the end of the "Spanish Film Festival" in Perth, I saw "The Clan" which tells the story of Puccio's, a family of well off Argentinians who kidnap the wealthy for ransom and hold them in their home. Headed by menacing patriarch Arquímedes Puccio, the film is based on true events, being set between 1981 and 1985 in the aftermath of the fascist Videla regime. Arquimedes worked for the government, helping subversives "disappear", so when he was out a job, he moved onto kidnapping for profit.Helping him alongside his gang of thugs is his son, Alejandro, a rugby player whose aspirations are higher than living a life of crime.The father-son dynamic makes The Clan quite an interesting watch, setting it apart from other typical true crime dramas. I was invested in the plot and the strong acting from Guillermo Fancella and Juan Pedro Lanzani. The movie is very stylish as well, taking a page from Martin Scorsese movies, having interesting camera setups, never shying away from sex and violence, and sometimes telling the movie out of order.That said, the rest of the characters aren't nearly as interesting, and are really more in the background, only having lines to forward the plot. The movie has a lot of attention paid to the kidnappings, but the formula of showing long, fluid takes that have English pop music playing in the background got a bit tiresome during the middle of the second act when it took focus away from Alejandro, and more on Arquimedes' other son, who returned home after away playing rugby. It would have also been interesting to have seen some more of Aquimedes' past, instead of it just being show in the opening, and then mentioned in passing.While it isn't the most original movie in its presentation, it's an interesting one, and a good place to start if you want to get into watching foreign-language films that are entertaining and accessible.

santiagocosme I was so excited when I heard this movie was released in Argentina that the anticipation to watch it felt like watching the final of the World Cup. And, as it also so often happens with World Cup finals, the movie was disappointing. I am not sure where and why it failed to capture my attention, but I just know that even though the story has potential, the movie is directed in a way that feels rather boring. I know that El Clan has become the most successful movie in Argentinian history, but it is a title it does not deserve. The movie is very average and possibly only matters because it is based on true events that caused a stir not that many years ago. For lovers of real event movies.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. It seems inherent within human nature for kids to want to make their parents happy and proud. Most of the time the reverse is also true: the majority of parents want to be good role models for their kids. However, when the latter is not true, things can get pretty ugly … even frightening. Such is the case with the real life story of the Puccio family in Argentina.Acclaimed Argentinean director Pablo Trapero (Carancho, 2010) gives us a look at the Puccio crime family, and in the process draws parallels between the political turmoil and re-structuring of Argentina as it returned to a democracy in the early 1980's.The façade of the happy family makes for perfect public cover as horrendous crimes are perpetuated … often in the basement of the family home. Arquimedes (Guillermo Francella, The Secret in Their Eyes 2009) is the father who often seizes on the celebrity of his rugby star son Alex/Alejandro (Peter Lanzani) to catch their victims off-guard. The family Modus Operandi is pretty simple: kidnap-collect ransom- kill. Arquimedes was known for his hospitality, often offering home-cooked meals to the victims as they were chained in the family basement. Quite a contrast to the brutality involved in the crimes.The film raises many questions, and makes us wonder where the line of guilt is drawn between committing a crime, and simply looking the other way. It's presented as if Alex felt compelled to support his father's endeavors even though it caused major internal struggles for him. Certainly the mother/wife (an excellent Lili Popovich) made the conscious decision to do what was necessary. It's especially unsettling to see Arquimedes helping his daughter with her school work, while the most recent victim is shackled in the cellar.As Argentina's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language film, it didn't make the final cut, but it's absolutely at the level of the five nominated films. Fans of Scorcese and Coppola crime films will see the influences, and the film rates with such crime gems as A Prophet (2009) and Animal Kingdom (2010).