This spotlight came about due to the discovery that Netflix Canada has several of Pablo Trapero’s films. Last year there were 5 Trapero films but as of current writing, there are now 7 films. That is an impressive number considering that Trapero has directed 9 features to date. The only 2 films from these 9 that are not on Netflix yet are his last 2 features: The Quietude and The Clan.
Mundo Grúa / Crane World (1999)
El bonaerense (2002)
Rolling Family (2004)
Born and Bred (2006)
Leonera / Lion’s Den (2008)
Carancho (2010)
Elefante blanco / White Elephant (2012)
The Clan (2015)
The Quietude (2018)
New Argentine Cinema
Pablo Trapero was a key part of the New Argentine Cinema that started to emerge in the late 1990s, not only in terms of style but also in terms of recognition. In Demetrios Matheou’s The Faber Book of New South American Cinema, Matheou mentions the following:
“It was Trapero’s debut, Mundo Grúa (Crane World, 1999), completed when he was twenty-seven, that won the best director prize at the inaugural Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI), a festival that quickly became a champion of New Argentine Cinema. It was Mundo Grúa, with further prizes in Rotterdam and Venice, that alerted the wider film community that Argentina might have something to offer the Latin American party that was only then turning up the amps.” page 259, The Faber Book of New South American Cinema, Demetrios Matheou
The unique perspective of these New Argentine films such as Trapero’s Mundo Grúa (Crane World, 1999) broke away from the conventional cinematic mould that existed previously. Crane World was filmed in grainy black and white, had extended takes, used non-professional actors and depicted events in a vérité manner. This style echoed Italian neo-realist cinema and also incorporated Argentina’s social and economic realities. The economic crisis of 1998-02 impacted Argentine society drastically and these New Argentine films, including Trapero’s debut, embraced the harsh reality and stitched it within their framework to depict youth and workers struggling to make ends meet.
Crane World follows the life and travels of Rulo (Luis Margani) as he attempts to earn a living by taking up whatever jobs he can find. Rulo tries his luck as a crane operator but he is let go from his job after his boss has concerns about Rulo’s health. Rulo drifts to the Argentine countryside to find a job in the construction industry but things don’t work out there because of other workers' dispute with the owners over a missing lunch. Rulo’s charming and easy going personality certainly help him overcome any hardships, be it with his job or with his son. Over the course of the film, it is uncovered that Rulo was once in a band and this revelation helps open some new doors for him.
Trapero continues this vérité style in his second feature El bonaerense which builds on the themes of employment and tough social/economic conditions depicted in his first film. El bonaerense expands its scope to depict corruption in the police force which is made worse by the tightening financial situation each character finds himself in. The dog-eat-dog world means that everyone is trying to get their share by whatever means possible.
Social Realism and Family
“Poet of the everyday: Pablo Trapero”, Demetrios Matheou, The Faber Book of New South American Cinema
Demetrios Matheou perfectly highlights Trapero's cinematic style with just these four words "Poet of the everyday".
All of Trapero’s 9 features to date shed light on topics that impact citizens in their day-to-day lives. The social, political, economic and political topics that his films cover are those that keep people up at night, be it finding a job, keeping a family/relationship together or holding on to a house. Trapero’s usage of non-actors also adds to this realistic portrayal of an everyday citizen. Trapero has illustrated different topics and film genres but all these 9 films are united in their aspect of family, be it a real family or a family born out of community/association/circumstances.
Rolling Family (2004) is a variation of a road family movie and balances keen observations of family dynamics with a pinch of comedy. Born and Bred (2006) examines the impact of guilt on a father (Santiago played by Guillermo Pfening) as he leaves his city life to work in the rugged cold Patagonian landscape. The Patagonian landscape and the isolated life echoes Carlos Sorin’s movies and can be considered a precursor to Lisandro Alonso’s Liverpool (2008) albeit with a difference as Alonso’s film dove further south into Tierra del Fuego.
Leonera / Lion’s Den (2008) shows a family dissolving before it can even materialize. In the film, Julia (Martina Gusmán) is framed for her boyfriend’s murder even though she discovers his dead body. In prison, she learns of her pregnancy and that discovery lands her in a ward for pregnant and young mothers. As per the film, a child born in prison has to be given away to a relative or a destination chosen by the court at the age of 4. Julia fights to secure a better life for her son. The Indian film Jawan (2023) shows an imprisoned woman giving birth in prison and raising her son but this topic was covered by Trapero much earlier.
Carancho (2010) switches gears and highlights the fraudulent injury insurance practises some people undertake to make some money. The film underscores the desperate economic plight of people that they are willing to put their bones on the line for some cash. White Elephant (2012) is a fascinating intersection of socialism, capitalism and the role of religion in brokering a deal between social good vs private property development.
On the surface, The Clan (2015) deals with extortion and mafia like tactic of a family who seek to profit from kidnapping children of rich people. But underneath the surface is the structure and framework of The Dirty War and disappearances that took place in Argentina. Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that for his next film, Trapero addresses the Argentina dictatorship. The Quietude (2018) starts off as a film about complicated family relationships and sibling rivalry. However, it is clear early on that the large estate the family lives in played a part in the death of the family patriarch. The whispers and hushed talks finally surface in the film’s final third when harsh truths about the dictatorship are addressed head-on.
Overall sentiment
Pablo Trapero has built an insightful and worthy body of work with just 9 features. He has examined different social, cultural, economic and political aspects of Argentine society with unflinching honesty. He is aided by a collection of talented actors and film crew. One notable mention goes to Martina Gusmán, married to Trapero since 2000, since she has stared in 5 of these films. Gusmán has a small role in Born and Bred (2006) but is the main force in Lion’s Den (2008). Her character is an excellent foil to Ricardo Darín’s character in Carancho and her character in White Elephant (2012) is the calm voice in the middle of the two opposing views of Jérémie Renier's and Ricardo Darín’s characters. Martina Gusmán truly steals the spotlight in The Quietude (2018) as her expressions and body language perfectly depict the tense rivalry and relationship of her character Mia with her sister Eugenia (played excellently by Bérénice Bejo). Both Martina Gusmán and Bérénice Bejo appear like twins and their appearance and expressions nicely layer the film’s tension.
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