Pablo Trapero Movies

Two priests dedicated to building a new hospital in a Buenos Aires shantytown find themselves caught in a violent war between rival drug lords that threatens devastating repercussions. Longtime friends Father Julián (Ricardo Darín) and Father Nicolás (Jérémie Renier) have dedicated their lives to helping the residents of Villa Maria, but lately an escalating feud between two criminal factions has made that goal impossible. Even worse, the corrupt police show no interest in halting the violence. Meanwhile, as Father Julián works tirelessly to ensure construction on Latin America's largest hospital doesn't grind to a halt, he is joined by Father Nicolás, still haunted after seeing members of his flock gunned down in the jungle by a paramilitary unit. That tragedy has resulted in a serious crisis of faith for the benevolent Father Nicolás, though the company of pretty atheist social worker Luciana (Martina Gusman) helps to ease his troubled mind. Later, with tensions in the streets reaching a fever pitch, a ministerial decree halts construction on the hospital, setting the stage for a violent showdown between the slum-dwelling locals and the corrupt authorities. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Auto accidents are an epidemic in Argentina, and two people with very different perspectives on the crisis are brought together in this drama from filmmaker Pablo Trapero. Sosa (Ricardo Darín) was once a respected attorney until his license to practice law was suspended, and now he makes ends meet offering his services under the table to accident victims hoping to make money in a lawsuit. One day, while staking out the scene of an auto wreck, Sosa meets Luján (Martina Gusman), a doctor who treats urgent cases. Despite her seemingly noble line of work, Luján has demons of her own, including a dependency on drugs, and she finds herself attracted to the morally conflicted lawyer, even after he helps to arrange for an accident for the benefit of a friend. Carancho was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Sex, violence, betrayal and madness coalesce in this disturbing drama from Argentinean filmmaker Albertina Carri. Nati (Nazarena Duarte) is a disturbed young girl living with her father Poldo (Victor Hugo Carrizo) and mother Alejandra (Analia Couceyro) in a remote, hardscrabble farming community. Nati, who cannot speak and strips off her clothes when she's angry, has few friends and has no one to play with besides Ladeado (Gonzalo Perez), the older son of Pichon (Javier Lorenzo), who works the neighboring farm. One of the reasons Nati is distraught is Alejandra has been having an affair with Pichon, and the two do little to hide their aggressive, sado-masochistic lovemaking from their children. Witnessing the brutal sex play between Alejandra and Pichon has also had a profound effect on Ladeado, who has taken to capturing and killing wild weasels. Nati begins drawing pictures depicting what she's seen her mother doing, and when Poldo gets a good look at them, he's determined to make his wife pay for her infidelity. La Rabia was screened as an official entry at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fernando Vargas' Say Good Morning to Dad consists of four short films that taken together illustrate what life is like in an unusual small town that protects a religious secret. An angel once visited the people of the town, and they have kept physical proof of the visit ever since. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Argentinean writer/director Pablo Trapero (El Bonaerense, Crane World) takes to the road in Rolling Family. Emilia (Graciana Chironi) is the matriarch of a family living in Buenos Aires. When she learns that her sister's daughter is getting married, she gathers the whole family for a trip to her hometown of Misiones, on the border of Brazil. One of her daughters, Marta (Liliana Capuro), is married to Oscar (Bernardo Forteza). Marta calls him "Fatso," and he owns the RV the family uses for the trip. They have a teenage son, Gustavo (Raul Viñona), and a little boy, Matias (Nicolás López). Their older daughter, Paola (Laura Glave), ends up joining the party at the last moment when she tearfully walks out on her druggie boyfriend, Claudio (Federico Esquerro), and shows up on the family's doorstep in tears with her infant son. Also on board is Emilia's other daughter, Claudia (Ruth Dobel), and her husband, Ernesto (Carlos Resta). They bring their teen daughter, Yanina (Marianela Pedano), who brings along a friend, Nadia (Leila Gomez). Complications arise as soon as the trip begins. In addition to the problems that might be expected (car trouble, a run-in with the police), relationships get tangled. The boy-crazy Yanina aggressively pursues her cousin, Gustavo, who is more interested in Nadia. Claudio catches up with the family on his motorcycle, and gets into an altercation with Oscar. Things get even more heated when Ernesto begins flirting with Marta, his sister-in-law. All these problems surface with the entire family jammed into a small space, putting the entire trip in jeopardy. Rolling Family was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the 2004 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

A locksmith from a small town buried deep in the province of Buenos Aires, Zapa's (Jorge Roman) quiet existence is thrown into disarray when he is arrested for robbery after being sent on a call by his boss, Polaco (Hugo Anganuzzi). Bailed out by his retired policeman uncle, Ismael (Roberto Posse), and sent to start life anew in Buenos Aires, Zapa is soon on his way to becoming a policeman as well. Settling into his new existence, Zapa soon begins an affair with a teacher as his life continues to spiral into directions he had never anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This fluidly constructed documentary from Argentinean director Lisandro Alonso follows one day in the life of Misael Saavedra, a woodsman who lives and works in a rural community. As Saavedra rises with the dawn, he sets out to chops down several trees, and then cleans them of their bark before cutting them into timber ready for the fireplace; he eventually takes his day's work to the market, where it fetches him $27. As the rising and setting of the sun bookends Saavedra's day, he is also at the mercy of nature and the elements, as good weather helps him along and thunderstorms bring his work to a halt. La Libertad was screened at the 2001 Buenos Aires Independent Cinema Festival, as well as the same year's Cannes Film Festival, where it was shown in the Un Certain Regard series. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This Argentine dramatic anthology represents the second collaborative effort of Nicolas Saad, Mariano De Rosa, Salvador Roselli and Rodrigo Moreno, all graduates of Argentina's main film school, the Universidad del Cine (their first film together was the critically acclaimed Moebius). The four vignettes all take place in Buenos Aires during the state elections and offer unflinching and often unflattering looks at Argentine society as it prepares to enter the 21st century. The first episode "The Wish" centers on a poor country boy who finds success in the teeming city by participating in one of its many illegal operations. The second, "Life and Works," follows a band of Paraguayan construction workers as they try to reestablish a sense of cultural pride and community after meeting a woman whom one of them believes is the Virgin Mary. "Hard Times" follows a teenage outcast in his endeavors to romance an upper-class girl, and in "Comrades" the sound recordist of a campaigning politician finds himself unwittingly entangled in some shady business. Bad Times competed in the 1998 Turin Film Festival and was nominated for the Prize of the City of Torino. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi