katrinaolson.ca - KO Review of Death in Buenos Aires (FTFF 2016)

Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 04:30 PM

KO Review of Death in Buenos Aires (Fairy Tales Film Festival 2016)

Review by Katrina Olson-Mottahed x CalgaryMovies.com

A KO Review by Emily Mody

Ever met a man who is so beautiful that he is able to seduce men who consider themselves to be straight? No? Well folks, you’re in for a treat. Meet Officer Gómez. You’re welcome.

Death in Buenos Aires, the directorial debut of Natalia Meta is a fun, fast paced, Argentinean crime film. The film is set in the 1980’s and follows Inspector Chávez (played by Demián Bichir), a straight, married man with a young son and his partner Dolores (played by Mónica Antonópulos). One night they are called to the crime scene of a wealthy older man who belongs to Buenos Aires high society. This man also happens to be gay. As Chávez and Dolores enter the residence they meet officer Gómez who had responded to a noise complaint and was told to wait until the investigator could arrive. As the case unfolds, Inspector Chávez finds himself having to explore the gay nightlife in Buenos Aires to find the suspected murderer. He gets closer to officer Gómez who, although being young and inexperienced, is determined to help them solve the case.

The thing that I suppose I love most about this film was the energy. It was so much fun to watch. It makes me smile just thinking about it. The use of bright colours was beautiful and electrifying. Actually, on second thought, pretty much everything about this film was beautiful – the setting, the actors, the cinematography, etc. Needless to say, I pretty much loved it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good crime/mystery film. There is some fairly graphic content but nothing like what I was expecting.

I also loved how light hearted Death in Buenos Aires is. Often I find that films with queer content have a tendency to become very serious because they are relaying a very important message about social acceptance and change. It is true that the message these films are conveying is important but sometimes it’s just nice to see this message expressed in a more light hearted and fun way. I think that, in some ways, this form of light-hearted expression provides the viewer with much greater insight because it brings you into the world in a very inviting and non-intimidating manner.

I’m not sure that I can think of any other film that I would compare this to. I think that this has honestly been my first exposure to queer, narrative cinema and it was divine. I will be looking forward to many more of these genre films in the future.

Death in Buenos Aires is rated 18A and therefore an adult must accompany all persons under 18 years of age wishing to attend this screening. I would recommend this film to pretty much anyone who enjoys a good, fun, and fast paced crime film. As long as you don’t mind things getting a little bit graphic in terms of sexual content you should be all right. Death in Buenos Aries will be screening as a part of the 2016 Fairy Tales Film Festival on Sunday, May 22, 2016 at the Plaza Theatre at 9:00pm.

Calgary Showtimes: 18th Fairy Tales Film Festival 2016 >