THE LOST BROTHER

Argentina, 2017, 112 minutes, Colour.
Leonardo Sbaraglia, Daniel Hendler, Alian Devetac, Angela Molina.
Directed by Israel Adrian Caetano.

This is rather grim film, not easy entertainment. It is an Argentinian story, set in the backblocks, and some of the flat territory of northern Argentina.

The brother of the title is a young man who had left his family in the country, lived and worked in Buenos Aires, received news of the death of his mother and brother, comes to the country town to identify the bodies, financial issues, and his having to decide what his future would be.

However, at the centre of the film, quite commanding, is the local fixer, Duarte, able to manage everything, pressure here, a bribe there, an abduction and blackmail scheme as well. He is played, in a different kind of performance by Leonardo Sbaraglia.

The other central character in the film is a young man, addicted to marijuana, not particularly bright, living with his mother (a strong performance by Spanish star of the past, Angela Molina), an assistant to Duarte in whatever he wants to do.

The young man in inherits his brother’s house, tidies up, sells what was in the house, sells his car, gets some crooked insurance from Duarte. At the end, he is involved in one of Duarte schemes and Duarte intends to kill him. However, there is a violent showdown with the brother surviving and, finally, seen through a rear vision mirror, walking away with the money towards his goal in Brazil.

1. An Argentinian drama? Sombre?

2. The Argentinian settings, the small town, the plain surrounding countryside, homes, basements, banks? Realistic feel? The musical score?

3. The title, the role of brothers in the story? Javier and his alienation from his mother and brother? Danielito, the story of his older brother and his death? A bond between Javier and Danielito?

4. The character of Duarte? No redeemable or likeable characteristics? His age, place in the town, the fixer? His air force background? The link with Danilo, friendship, money? Javier arriving? From Buenos Airess? Sacked from his job? The news of his mother’s death, his brother? Danilo’s suicide? (And suspicions that Duarte had killed them?) Going to the morgue, Javier being sick, the burnt corpses, Duarte arranging the cremation, the containers?

5. Javier and his story, sacked from his public work, renting in the capital, driving to the town, finding the house, looking at the souvenirs, cleaning up, the limping man buying up the contents, deals with money, his selling the car? The issue of insurance? Duarte arranging everything, taking a cut, a cut for bribery? Javier and his hiding the money? The use of the ashes containers?

6. Duarte and his relationship with Danielito? His criticisms of his mother? The savage dogs? The man captured in the basement? The abduction and blackmail racket? Leaving the young man out in the countryside? The abduction of the old woman? The phone calls? Her son unwilling to pay? The selling of the tractor, his saying he could not find the money? His mother and her pleading? Duarte and his brutality, sexual assault?

7. Javier, his thoughts about going to Brazil, to the island, nature on the island as well as the security prison? Lending the magazines to Danielito? The plan to get the money, the bus, from northern Argentina?

8. Duarte, his criticisms of Danielito’s mother, her criticisms of him, going to the cemetery with the ashes of her unfaithful husband, the coffin of her young son and the story of his illness and death? The dog biting her hand? The decision to kill herself with the tablets? In coma, in the hospital? Her death and burial? The effect on Danielito? And Duarte taunting him?

9. The plan with the abducted woman, to go to the bank, to empty her savings, telling Javier she had Alzheimer’s, in the wheelchair, the visit to the bank, Javier and the money, his own money and higher notes? In the back of the van, the gun, the explosion and the woman injuring herself? The showdown, Duarte with his gun, Danielito with the gun? The woman running, Duarte shooting her? Danielito shooting Duarte? Danielito shot dead? Javier and his gun? The taunts from Duarte? Javier shooting him?

10. Javier getting the money, abandoning the van, seen through the rear vision mirror, walking way towards Brazil?

11. Slices of life? Good and evil? Sombre and grim?