Cenizas del paraíso

Three Argentine brothers fall into the hands of a female judge, each individually claiming to be guilty of the murder of a powerful man's daughter. Having these three men in custody, the body of the dead girl, and the news that the brothers' father, who is also a judge, was also killed, Judge Teller finds herself in trying to unravel the complex mystery. The mystery which is presented with great passion and chaos from the very start of the film, is slowly unraveled by showing the main characters' individual perspectives of the previous week or so, one at a time. By showing one piece of the puzzle at a time, Marcelo Piñeyro builds up much suspense and pushes the audience to try to guess what the missing pieces will be. The story demonstrates what could happen to extremely close-knit families, such as the three men and their father, when certain destructive circumstances or people make their way into their lives. Although certain family bonds may be bent and weakened through such circumstances, these bonds are by no means easily broken.

Viewed this movie once, liked it so much I turned around and viewed it again. I would rate it on equal terms with LA Confidential and The Usual Suspects as one of the best modern crime movies. It is edited in style similar to Memento, looking backward while advancing toward the ending, and this worked to make it unpredictable and entertaining throughout. The movie was very well cast. Letitia Bredice in particular gave an outstanding performance as a highly sexy young woman, yet intelligent and deserving of sympathy in a Marilyn Monroe kind of role. Two other fine performances at the center of the story came from Cecilia Roth as a magistrate trying to work her way through a baffling crime and political interference, and Hector Alterio, also a magistrate, caught between his sense of duty and a situation increasingly threatening to his beloved sons. Highly recommended for lovers of crime movies.

I did not really get the point of "Cenizas Del Paraíso". The movie starts off in full swing and if the viewer doesn't pay very close attention throughout the beginning he or she is in trouble. I had to rewind the tape after about 15 minutes because I was so confused with all the details, names and events. And movies that have so much information, especially in the very beginning, usually have a story to tell, right. Well, the director did a great job at gluing the pieces together. Even with all the flashbacks I knew exactly what happened when and where and I was really dying to see what had really happened and who murdered the girl, and why. In the end I was not surprised at all, it was rather an anticlimax and I don't know what makes this movie better than an average "Matlock" episode. Sure, the acting is good (I really felt the immense love between father and sons during the dancing scene) and the plot is quite intriguing, but it's not executed in the best way. I wasn't expecting another "Usual Suspects" or something, but the movie made such a fuss about the murder I wasn't expecting predictability either. Oh, and what's up with the final scene with the brothers in the elevator. Maybe I'm complicating but is there a hidden message somewhere in there or is it just a final artistic moment. Worth for the performances, not the thrill. 7/10

I've seen this movie at least eight times, and I never get tired of watching it. Among the good reasons to afirm this is that is one of the very few Argie films that tells a story, instead of using film as a political weapon.

But in the other hand is his bright and excelently written screenplay (by director Marcelo Piñeyro and known argentinian screenwriter Aida Bortnik), its smart, precise and sharp directing and the gifted performances of all actors in it.

On the scale of 1 to 10, I'll give this masterpiece a 10, because it really deserves it.

This is basically a movie about family relations: brother with brother, father with son.

Judge Makantasis and his three sons get along so well you can almost feel it as the movie goes on. The scene where all the four dance in the Greek way shows us how well based are the love and caring from one to the others.

Loyalty among brothers, because of a girl. Loyalty with their father, and how their world goes upside down when he dies.

I think is genial the way the director shows the story in a non-chronological order, dividing it in as many parts as brothers. It makes you understand each one's motivation.

A movie about family, fathers, sons, brothers, love, loyalty, sacrifice.