Did you people see the same film I saw?

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Burnt Money is an exceptional film in the crime drama genre and stands quite well as director Marcelo Pineyero provides Hollywood with an example of what subtlety can bring to cinema. This film also does its best as a commentary of the internal division between the people and the corrupt government in Argentina, as showcased by the character Nando, played by Carlos Roffe. A few scenes strike out at me for recounting the director's work and it also must be said that the work of the actors that portrayed Nene, Angel and Cuervo was thoughtful and delivered with subtlety to match that of the director's nuanced vision of the world that the trio inhabits.Two scenes that immediately jump to mind are those that weave both dramatic long takes with clever use of diagetic sound to create a suspenseful dramatic scene. The two scenes are of the moment that Vivi is captured by the police and the 'relaxing' scene at the beach party with the trio. I enjoyed both of these scenes very much due to the director's courage to use a long take to add suspense. The suspense in these scenes however is not the same as the violent and gore soaked films we call 'suspense', but a more chilling and ominous sense of dread is evoked with the stillness of each scene. There is a moment that both scenes erupt with action, and the music within each scene accentuates the moment that the juxtaposition of mood occurs. Basically the manipulation of music within the scene such as the record being torn off the player just as the party erupts show that the director made disciplined use of all the tools in his arsenal to create a fully imagined atmosphere and mood.

Well-acted, stylish Spanish crime-drama from Ricardo Piglia's book is allegedly based on factual account from 1965 involving estranged gay lovers in Argentina who re-energize their relationship with successful, brutal crime sprees (they call themselves "The Twins"); after one particular robbery ends in gunfire and dead cops, the two go into hiding along with their accomplices in Uruguay. Despite a skittering sort of continuity that keeps a breathless momentum going--at the expense of a well-wrought narrative--the film is highly adept at setting a sweaty, prickly mood. At first, the sexual clinches (which are actually non-sexual, as one partner keeps pushing the other away) are aloof and perhaps a bit self-conscious, but the actors improve along with the film; by the finale, Nene and Ángel really do seem like doomed soul mates, helplessly intertwined. Fascinating on occasion, and handsomely produced, the picture lifts bits and pieces from its American gangster counterparts ("The Godfather", "Scarface", et al.), yet it may be braver than those while digging into the characters' sordid lives. **1/2 from ****

I cannot forget the images that Marcelo Piñeyro conjured up and was able to capture in this film. Everything, the visuals, the literate script, with its sensitive, sensuous, heartbreaking dialogue, the suspense that does not leave you for a single minute, the violent finale that you expect and still keep hoping it will not happen, the exquisite acting of all the major players, it will all stay with me, forever, I am sure. This is film-making of the best kind: contemporary, mature, it relates to reality but transcends it and reaches a perfectly beautiful, artistic, poetic level. This is also a film that treats a gay relationship with total honesty and truth. The characters have their faults, but none of them has to do with their sexuality. They make, indeed, a beautiful pair, and I wish they would have had a chance to be happy together, somewhere, somehow, at the end.

but something about the pacing of this film felt slow. I can't put my finger on it. I guess the director did too good of a job creating an atmosphere of boredom from waiting....and waiting....and waiting.. Even I was getting impatient! The Twins (Angel and Nene) and Cuervo rob an armored car but all goes to hell when they kill two policemen. So they run off to Uruguay to hide. Thats where most of it takes place. But thats besides the point. They do a beautiful job of portraying the relationship between two complicated men (one more complicated than the other). Nene's love for Angel is true and sincere. But when Angel pushes him away because of his own inner demons, Nene looks for solace anywhere he can. But he senses all the while that Angels mind is deteriorating. If only Angel would open up and tell him whats wrong!! Possible spoilerNene and Angel live in a tough world. It's ruthless and violent, so they are ruthless and violent with no regrets. The juxtaposition of that reality with the tenderness and warmth they gave each other was poignant. My favorite part was when Angel seemed to snap out of it in the final showdown. He was in his element, firing away gleefully at the policemen below. But then he cradles Nene and comforts him as best he can while his lover slips away. What a complex character. Did Noriega win an award for his performance? He deserves one.