Based on true events, Pablo Trapero's The Clan tells the story of the notorious Puccio Clan, a family who kidnapped and killed people in 1980s Argentina. The father of the household, Arquimedes Puccio, was a high-ranking official in the Videla regime in Argentina, and after the dictator's fall in 1981, Arquimedes continued to practice his unique skillset, carrying out kidnappings, not for political purposes this time, but merely for personal monetary gains. Ruling over his family like a totalitarian regime, Arquimedes, with the help of his oldest son, would routinely kidnap wealthy Argentinians, holding them ransom in his home until their loved ones paid up. A stunning true story, The Clan is the type of film where you will have to constantly remind yourself this insane tale actually happened, with Pablo Trapero embracing the unbelievable events which took place. Pablo Trapero's The Clan is an impressive effort particularly from a tonal standpoint, being a film that embraces the horror and absurdity of such an unbelievable true story of death and carnage. Given the subject matter, The Clan is full of some pretty dark sequences and drama, yet Trapero never loses track of the absurdity of this tale, delivering a film that balances its darker dramatic elements with a playful tone as if the filmmaker continuously winks at the viewer reminding them that, YES, this did actually happen. One popular method he uses throughout the film to achieve this is the injection of light, pop-esque music throughout the narrative, typically used in scenes of violence and deception. It got to the point in The Clan where whenever this style of light, upbeat music came on the expectation in the viewer is more violence in death, as Trapero juxtaposes the horrors committed by these characters with feel-good, upbeat music- a decision which evokes the sense of normality associated with such violence by the Puccio Clan. At its core, Trapero's film is interested in examining a family unit which was capable of committing such crimes, with the filmmaker routinely juxtaposing the domesticated family life with the radicalism associated with kidnapping another human being. The main relationship involves Father (Arquimdes) and Son (Alejandro), examining the dynamics of paternity and how it relates to a situation where one's father is committing henious crimes. Alejandro is essentially the moral compass of the film, one of the only members of the family who actively helps his father carry out the kidnappings. He is a young man who does heinous things, domineered by his fathers calm, authoriatative presence, Alejandro constantly struggles with the morality of his situation but struggles to stand up to this father. The Clan's strongest dramatic moments are centered around Alejandro's inner turmoil, a character who wears the burden of being a part of kidnappings and even murder, unable to firmly position himself outside of his father's dark, overbearing shadow. Pablo Trapero's The Clan is an insane true story that is told by a filmmaker who isn't scared to embrace the absurdity of its horror story, being a film that impressively balances its dramatic elements and is a devilishly enjoyable experience in the process.
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June 2023
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