Epitafios

Series from HBO productions are, except for minor fluctuations, a constant in the field of quality spectacles. The Argentinian section has said goodbye to the stereotype of the dull soap opera and has come up with a dark crime drama that can be envied far and wide. It's not a big deal in its own way and the means of expression are more or less learned from their North American counterparts, but in this case, the primary means of engaging the viewer is the catchy plot. A killer with a carefully thought-out plan, police officers guilty of their own conscience, and a heavy atmosphere all around, thick with cigarette smoke and soothed by antidepressants. No one present is actually blameless, but they do earn our sympathy. From the tired Renzo, through the uncompromising blonde badass Marina, to the chillingly smiling Bruno. I didn't feel the need to finish it in two nights, but I spent quite a lot of time thinking about the "what and how" between episodes. (13.07.2010)

Everyone is guilty. The best (mini)series come to us across the big pond from HBO studios. Everybody knows that. But this time it isn’t from the US of A, but from the Argentinian branch of HBO, which is a pleasant surprise. And they do it with such style that I wouldn’t have believed it was possible. All the positive superlatives that might occur to you are here, nothing is missing. And I thought that the psycho thriller genre about a murderer who likes playing games with the police has nothing to offer since its boom in the nineties. But I was mistaken. It’s hard to imagine something so raw, marvelously acted, every sentence full of functional essence, suspenseful (true, sometimes at the expense of ignoring logical investigation procedure, but somehow that fits here) and full of atmosphere. Plus, these are the smokiest moving pictures that I have ever seen. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the vast majority of the budget went on cigarettes. All those cartons used in each episode must have had Buenas Aires smog watch very worried. But I understand the characters. I was also sitting on the edge of my seat for most of each episode, shaking so much that even I (as a strict non-smoker) felt like lighting up. The only minus of the whole series is the noticeable drop in quality in the second half (drop in quality = what was the best thing for miles around becomes “just" a darn quality movie). The characters’ behavior becomes really rather unbelievable, police logic sometimes takes a long vacation and they don’t even smoke as much. However, the last two episodes return sure-footed to the original five-star path thanks to coherence and being highly-charged (you won’t see anything like this anywhere else). (04.08.2008)