El Bonaerense - Pablo Trapero (2002)

Carancho is about love in the middle of road accidents. An ugly world full of people who want to help others and people who want to take advantage of others. The world is a dark place but sometimes there is the light of love trying to save us. 

El Bonaerense is about corruption in the middle of the police force. A relatively young man from a small town ends up as a cadet. He got there by chance and had no better prospects. He is a man of his time, the end of 2001, when the country was both confused and demoralised. But he's also an excuse and a mirror for us spectators to travel into the world of La Bonaerense (Buenos Aires province's police force). For people who are familiar with it, it's no surprise the corruption and behaviour of people who should be instead be fighting crime. I'm not sure how it works for people who aren't familiar... I would say this film is too much, it can't be like this, this director is exaggerating. No, he isn't. That's how things are.

Trapero's vision of things is bleak, but the characters of both of his films belong to the same world. El Bonaerense is weaker in the story aspect, maybe because the characters aren't strong enough. It's still an alright film, a journey into corruption. It's nice to watch. The use of music annoys me a little, too stereotyped, too easy choices... exactly the same with the characters.

El Bonaerense