EL CLAN

Argentina, 2015, 110 minutes, Colour.
Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani.
Directed by Pablo Trapero.

This is a film about domestic gangsters. In the past, in the 1930s, gangsters were presented as manic in their attitudes and behaviour, but heroes in their own minds and trying to communicate that to the society of the time. This was the area of Scarface, Public Enemy, Little Caesar. With the renewed interest of in gangster films in the 1970s, especially with the Godfather films, there was a great deal of mythmaking which some viewers saw as a glorifying of the gangsters and that ethos, the Mafia mystique.

While The Clan is the story of a gangster family, there is no glorification at all, the patriarch of the family, Archimedes Puccio, is a completely sinister figure despite his sometime smile and the cover of his being a respectable shopkeeper and family man. As portrayed by Guillermo Francella, he is a cold and calculating man, a man of planning for the success of his family, a man of planning in the several kidnappings he oversees, finding his place in the society of his time.

The society of his time is that of Argentina in the 1980s. The film shows in prologue something of the history of the dictatorship from the 1970s to the 1980s, the rule of the generals, the number of citizens who disappeared – and some choose one to the Falklands war. With the connivance of authorities, Archimedes Puccio and his henchmen engineered the abduction first of young men from wealthy families, demanding ransoms, setting up situations for collection of money, telephone threats, and the ugliness of killing their victims before they collected the money.

What is more sinister is the involvement by Archimedes of his family. His wife, seemingly middle-class domestic, was conniving in the abductions, especially in preparing the meals for those imprisoned in the family basement. The oldest son has moved away from Argentina to New Zealand, working as a shearer, but the patriarch sends his next son to bring him back and involves him in the abductions. The next son, Alex (Peter Lanzani) is a champion rugby player, admired by his footballing team, his coach, the public. He has access to the young men to be kidnapped and is persuaded to play a role, becoming more deeply involved in the criminal behaviour, the imprisonment, the collection of the money, further setups.

Alex falls in love and wants to withdraw from this family business but there is a succession of mistakes which lead to a raid on the family and imprisonment.

All the time, the audience wonders about the role of government officials, the nature of political corruption and protection, Archimedes and his patriotic loyalty, and wondering where the police are. By 1985, three years after the abductions had begun, the police go into action.

Of particular dramatic interest are the episodes where Archimedes confronts Alex in prison, wanting his son to beat him so that he can claim he was assaulted by guards and use this as part of his defence. He over plays his tactics with dire results for Alex.

The final credits give information as to what happened to each of the characters, each member of the Puccio family, Alex’s fiancee. And the note that Archimedes studied law during his imprisonment and died at age 84.

A piece of Argentinian history by one of Argentina’s best directors, Pablo Trapero, a most telling performance by Guillermo Francella, and a cautionary tale.

1. A true story? The history of Argentina in the late 20th century? The 1970s and 80s? The aftermath?

2. Latin American history at the end of the 20th century? Histories of dictatorships? Military government? The oppression in Argentina, the Disappeared? Government, war, corruption, transition to democracy?

3. The use of newsreel footage, the government at the time, interviews, patriotism, pledges of loyalty? Change?

4. The Buenos Aries’ settings, the home, the storefront, the shop, the street corner? The different areas of the city, homes, mansions, roads? For the kidnappings? The football grounds, the games in practice? The sinister basement for those kidnapped? Police and government offices? The musical score?

5. The use of contemporary songs, the lyrics and correspondence to action, the feel of the period?

6. The introduction, the raid of the family home – audience attention, leading to flashbacks, the build up to this raid again? The interlude in the middle of the film with the kidnapping of the lady and the reactions?

7. The guilt of the leader of the family, no sympathy?

8. Archimedes as a person, cold personality, amoral, greed, politics, alleged patriotism? A family man, shopkeeper, sweeping the front of the shop? Coaching his daughters with their homework? Planning the lives of his children? His respectability, access to government officials, government passes and appointments? The role of the Commodore, Gordon and his going to prison, the later developments and their letting him go? The Catholic background?

9. Alex, his age, good footballer, champion, his relationship with his father, despite his plans? The first kidnapping, the footballer, Alex and his association with the young men, agreeing to participate, the car and the setting up of the player, the car intervening, the kidnapped man in the boot, his cries and fears? Into the basement? Alex and his collaboration with the second abduction? His father giving him an amount of the ransom money? His continuing with his father? His falling in love with Monica, their sexual relationship, the prospect of buying land for their home? The explanation of the killing of the kidnapped men to him, his accepting it? His going to New Zealand to bring back his brother? His relationship with his mother, sisters, taking Palermo to the airport, his leaving and subsequent disappearance? The cumulative presentation of his character, continuing to play football, his teammates? His father being arrested, the raid and his arrest, his concern about Monica, his father’s plan, to provoke his son to bash him, the father overdoing it, Alex’s reaction, jumping to his death, but surviving? Subsequent history?

10. The father, his henchmen, their loyalties? With his wife and her participation in the kidnapping, providing the meals? His love for his daughters, helping them with their homework? A cold personality, seemingly pleasant but very sinister? Sweeping the footpath? His concern about his older son and his disappearance to New Zealand, his thinking him ungrateful? Sending Alex to get him? The political situation, his access to people, his moving into the abductions? Killing the victims? The plausible explanations? His continuing, the abduction of the shoe seller, his former friend, the visit for Alex to buy shoes, The death of the man in the car? The cover-up? The abduction of the woman, the refusal to pay the ransom? Keeping her so long and her suffering? His always making the phone calls – and the irony of the police having the records? His watching the raid, arrest, in jail, talking with his lawyers, planning his defence, claiming he was beaten up by the guards, provoking Alex, Alex bashing him, but his shock and Alex falling? The subsequent history – even to his doing the law degree in jail?

11. His wife, knowing what was happening, family life, the girls?

12. Monica, Alex and the relationship, Swedish background, the plan to buy the land, the plan to honeymoon in Sweden? The raid, her being upset – not believing the truth, finally persuaded?

13. The footballers, seeing Alex as a champion, their sadness at the deaths, the coach and his support?

14. The older brother, in New Zealand, returning, explaining shearing, his participating in the abductions? The motive collecting the money, Alex and his bike, the older brother and the case?

15. The absence of the police until the end? The changing situation in the 80s with the police and arrests? Interrogations?

16. The point of recounting this history, a cautionary tale?