EL BONAERENSE
Directed by: Pablo Trapero.
Produced by: Trapero.
Written by: Trapero.
Director of Photography: Guillermo Nieto.
Edited by: Nicolas Goldbart.
Music by: Pablo Lescano & Damas Gratis.
Released by: Menemsha Films.
Country of Origin: Argentina/France. 100 min. Not Rated.
With: Jorge Román, Dario Levy & Mimi Arduh.

The title, a pun, refers to a rural resident of the Buenos Aires province, as well as the Buenos Aires police force. From the very beginning, Zapa (Román), a shaggy-haired, blank-faced bumpkin, is way over his head. A stooge in a bungled safe-cracking, he is arrested. His uncle, a former cop, pulls some strings to get his nephew into the police academy in Buenos Aires, where he is taken under the wing of his uncle's friend. Too old at 32 for entry, his age is breezily changed. An officer challenges Zapa, "Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" Zapa answers yes, but clearly he doesn't. Slow to learn, he is a necessary part of the corrosive system. He's a natural follower, an observer who never takes the initiative - a perfect patsy for an organization built on favors, where no questions are asked. Pervading the atmosphere is, not surprisingly, a machismo attitude - partying officers continuously shoot their guns into the air to celebrate Christmas. And as Zapa becomes more engulfed, at least by association, in crimes such as bribery and murder, the film steadily builds momentum. The underlining question is how much longer can Zapa remain passive. Filmed in dark saturated colors, the detailed production design looks completely lived in, and the ensemble cast never strikes a false note. Low budget and technically polished, El Bonaerense is a calm, simmering satire of a police force that is a power all to itself. Kent Turner
November 22, 2003