Step into the world of The Delinquents, a film that defies convention and delivers an undercurrent of genuine oddity. From the flat white lighting and washed-out color grading that gives it the look of a ‘70s TV serial to the mountain swimming beach where people claim to see apparitions, this long, complex film is a true masterpiece. Director Rodrigo Moreno deconstructs the heist genre with the calm focus of a safecracker taking apart a lock. The story begins with a bank robbery that is oddly easy to commit. Moran (Daniel Elias) simply walks into the bank vault, puts a pile of American dollars in his gym bag and goes home. But that’s just the beginning. Over the next three hours, Moreno takes us on a journey that defies expectations and delivers a surprise that sheds light on why Moran chose this impractical hiding spot.
The film is screening at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section for innovative or personal cinema, and it’s easy to see why. Moreno is a slippery customer who refuses to deliver any of the usual genre payoffs. The thieves, neither of whom are ultimately interested in money, are just unfulfilled, somewhat dull men in early middle age who want to buy new lives. Which they do – though, again, not in the way you might expect.
The conventions of genre would suggest that there should be a gun pulled or a police chase, but Moreno is working to a very different purpose. He presents a box-office challenge with a three-hour film that refuses to deliver any of the usual genre payoffs, but the director should be high on anyone’s list of ones to watch.
Title: The Delinquents
Festival: Cannes (Un Certain Regard)
Director-screenwriter: Rodrigo Moreno
Cast: Daniel Elias, Esteban Bigliardi, Margarita Molfino, German De Silva, Laura Paredes, Mariana Chaud, Cecilia Rainero, Javier Zoro Sutton, Gabriela Saidón
Running time: 3 hr
Sales agent: Magnolia Pictures International
