User Reviews

Well, as a puertorican I'm a fan of the Latinoamerican Cinematography and while it's true there are not many +7 stars movies by year in Latin cinematography, but there's always a handful of movies that sometimes exceeds the Hollywood films with a lot of promo and a gigantic budget. These is one of those movies and the responsibility lies in one name: Leonardo Sbaraglia. Yes, the story is not 10 stars, but the performance of Sbaraglia along with the argentine badlands, the cruel way in which poverty is presented and the bizarre relationships between the characters make these movie a must-see if you're a fan of the Argentinian films like "El Secreto De Sus Ojos", "Relatos Salvajes", "Nueve Reinas" and the list goes on. It could be better, no doubt, but Sbaraglia's performance worth the time.

I think I'm starting to learn Spanish by absorption I've watched so many Argentinian films lately, and I'm glad I have, as they are presenting scenarios in an art form that Hollywood is simply unable to do. Rather than budget constraints resulting in trashy exploitation movies, as tend to come out of more affluent nations, it seems to focus and direct these film maker's attention back to the essentials of film making, and The Lost Brother is no exception.

The title can refer to any of the three 'brothers' here as they each are lost and are central to its plot. This is not so much a film to be enjoyed, but experienced rather, as everything about it is believable and painful, even the unsettling dual-personality of its main character.

People really do vanish in these environments, and presented here is a possible situation in which some of these disappearances occur. It's all awkward, sad, and difficult to watch, where the manipulation and abuse of the elderly and poor is up for grabs, and even the perpetrator lives in mental and physical squalor.

The acting is natural and authentic, the direction superb, the script tight and unpredictable, and the score is sparse and effective, all so much so in fact that it can leave one dispirited - you have been warned.

But it will give you an insight into another world, raw and unfiltered, and make you appreciate being able to watch this in your comfortable urban front room on your 40" LCD TV.

Pretty much tired of the same clichés once and once again...comes this film, and not only does that, but also brings us a few things we might have already seen too many too times in , for example, "no country for old men", and a bit of Daniel Plainview charisma (Daniel day Lewis) in Sbaraglia as well...just my opinion. The thing is, I found this flick pretty boring and plain, and with an outcome hyper expected...I mean, come on man...it's what I usually call "a disrespectful movie". The cast, tho, handles it pretty good. I feel kind of disappointed when they have a good cast, the money for production and it results on a film without novelty. This is the typical 5 out of 10. Imagine if I weren't Argentinian.

Not all Argentinian movies are good, far from that, but this one is certainly interesting to watch as the cast did a very good job with their respective performances. Especially Leonardo Sbaraglia as the sleezy greaceball Duarte, a con-man that hustles his way through life. Nothing is bad enough to make himself some 'plata'. But also Alian Devetac as Danielito, his compagnon in crime, just doing it for the weed. His miserable look was perfect in the context of the story. And then there was Daniel Hendler as Cetarti, the lost brother, a bit naive but in the end also up to make some cash without questioning too much if it's right or wrong. The story is interesting to watch, with a dark malevolant ambiance. And also perfect to practice my Spanish a little bit.

Every time I have watched a Leonardo Sbaraglia film, I know that I will not be disappointed. He's such a fascinating actor who is constantly changing and evolving in the roles he plays. Of course he is always surrounded by a fine cast and this film is no exception. They are first rate. But Sbaraglia manages to hypnotize with his chameleon-like qualities - amazing! His role of DUARTE here should be a master class for acting students. The tautness of the script, characters so lean and well delineated and masterful direction lead us to a suspenseful conclusion.

The concept of the movie is quite interesting. Unfortunately the main character is quite bland to put it mildly. The story itself is interesting and there are quite a few surprises along the way. The other characters are actually more interesting. Not that you have many people to root for. Well none that get explored in depth that is for that matter.

So while family is or can be a big thing, in this case it seems to be an excuse to bring a stranger into town. A thriller works in certain circumstances and this has its merits, but in this case you really have to suspend a lot of disbelief and try to stick with it, even with all the obstacles thrown into your way. I am not judging the main actor after this one performance, so maybe it was the script, maybe it was a number of things, but they all work against the idea behind it all ...

I really loved the ambiance, a chaotic energy to give taste, junk, trinkets, junk, very dirty and old, that's how I love it, kkkk, a very perfect plot, one of the best Latin films produced by four hands (countries)... A tight network of murders, deaths, blood, blows and scams, well appropriated and developed... Everything so perfect and realistic, perfect script, masterful execution, agile development and intense ending, disgusting, disgusting, repulsive, dramatic, ambition taken to extreme levels, I was interested in the work of the author of the novel... Perfection defines... Very good, excellent, I love it...

Duarte is played by a great actor, the movie starts reality promising and interesting but in the end all the free violence, including sexual, kind of goes nowhere.

Summary

Notable film by Israel Adrián Caetano that follows in the footsteps of Cetarti, an unemployed person who travels to a lost town in the Chaco (in the north of Argentina) to recognize the bodies of his murdered mother and brother and must link up with Duarte, friend and executor of the murderer.

Rising tension and violence, in a western-tinged thriller with relentless dryness and dramatic progression.

Review

Cetarti (Daniel Hendler) arrives at a lost town in the Chaco (in the north of Argentina) to recognize the bodies of her mother and her brother recently murdered by her partner at the time. Duarte (Leonardo Sabaraglia), a retired NCO friend and executor of the murderer, is the one who summons Cetarti for that recognition and collect life insurance.

What follows is an increasingly black story, based on Carlos Busqued's novel Under this tremendous sun: Cetarti, unemployed and having severed ties with his family a long time ago, only seems interested in raising money. Duarte also tries to profit from the situation, but the plot also introduces us to his criminal activities, counting on the complicity of Daniel, the son of the deceased.

The precision with which Israel Adrián Caetano paints the different settings and their characters and the dryness with which they develop and resolve the situations is remarkable. As it progresses, the story accumulates a strange mixture of calm, tension and violence, in such a way that this thriller, due to its locations and its spirit, could also be described as a western.

Sbaraglia composes a fearsome ruffian, but with a successful berreta component and with this role he once again shows not only that he is one of the best Argentine actors but perhaps the most versatile. His counterpoint to the unflappable (and impenetrable) character of Hendler, whom nothing that happens seems to affect him, is very effective. Alian Devetac also shines, like young Daniel, a very dark character.

While the script of this movie reaches mediocre suspense (therefore 4/10 and not 1/10), the unnecessary explicitness makes this film a crap. I really just cannot figure out the lack of any thought of the producers about this fact, because this a is a sick film for sick audiences. This kind of production just contributes to a more degenerate world. Not much more I can say.

Good actors and an interesting story, but not for two hours. I like slow movies when the rhythm is part of the story telling. In this case, it's just boring. From the finished film, a good editor, even without the original footage, would transform this in an excellent short movie that everybody would love to watch.