220) Betibu (2014)
A day like any other day, in a peaceful and well guarded private neighborhood, Pedro Chazarreta is found dead. News are quickly spread: Chazarreta is not only a powerful businessman, but also the only suspect of having murdered his wife by simulating a silly domestic accident few years ago. Who killed Chazarreta? Is his death related to his wife’s? Are the reasons of his death hidden in his past?
7/10 – This was the second film I saw at the London Film Festival, drawn to it due to the association to the excellent The Secret In Their Eyes, I was reasonably excited to see this.
Disappointed is a harsh word to describe this film, and whether it was the 20 hour drinking session as part of a University Reunion the night before that tainted my perception of the film, I’m not sure, but I was relatively underwhelmed.
It trundled along at a good pace, it looked great and Daniel Fanego reeled off witty line after witty line like an Argentinian Peter Capaldi which made for entertaining viewing. As the rest of the cast tried to piece together the mystery, it left me feeling hopeful that perhaps it would get even better and this sold out cinema would have had the chance to view another Oscar winning film.
It fell short, not to say it wasn’t very good, but it fell short. Despite it’s long running time (in the region of 2 hours?) it still felt underdeveloped. There was no thrill, no real edginess to the mystery surrounding the death and it seemed oddly normal to all involved even though this was quite a unique instance.
Detach the comparison to The Secret In Their Eyes and this movie can stand on it’s own. It’s a great addition to the classic noir genre, and even though it lacks the ability to thrill, it’s strengths lie in the two main characters and excellent production.
Worth a watch, but don’t expect anything award worthy.
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