El patrón, radiografía de un crimen

Very much under estimated movie. It is very well made, despite being on a small budget. This one deserves to be seen!

A brilliant well crafted and acted film. One of very few I'd watch again. Perhaps I missed a few events or perhaps the film needs tighter editing...in any event an amazing delve into good vs evil and the banal vs the ethereal. Watch this gem.

Sebastián Schindel's gritty crime drama offers an unflinching glimpse into the bleak world of exploitation hiding in plain sight. Set against the muted palette of urban Argentina, the film operates in a space of quiet dread, maintaining an oppressive atmosphere that suits its unsettling subject matter. The cinematography is intentionally stripped down, with dimly lit interiors and gray-toned exteriors that echo the emotional numbness of its central character. There's a documentary-like realism to how the camera lingers, never romanticizing or sensationalizing, just observing the slow burn of institutionalized abuse with a clinical eye.

The acting is where this film leaves its strongest impression. Joaquín Furriel delivers a quietly harrowing performance, embodying a man ground down by circumstance with remarkable restraint. His physicality is key - rigid posture, downcast eyes, the stammer of someone long silenced. Opposite him, Luis Ziembrowski gives a chilling portrayal of a predator who hides behind casual cruelty and manipulative charm. The cast as a whole leans into a subdued, naturalistic style that reinforces the film's raw, unvarnished tone. No one feels like they're playing for the camera; instead, their performances pull you into a world where power is abused with a shrug and victims barely know they're victims until it's too late.

While the film excels at atmosphere and performance, its pace may test some viewers. The storytelling is slow and methodical, often circling around the same emotional notes. It builds tension incrementally, but with few moments of catharsis or dramatic relief. The narrative structure, while deliberate, at times feels like it's stretching a short story into a feature-length format. This contributes to a sense of emotional fatigue by the final act, which lacks the impact it seems to be building toward. Still, the film's commitment to truth over theatrics earns it respect, even when its message feels more powerful than its momentum.

I just loved this movie after not expecting too much from it.

There are no details on IMDb about how much this movie actually cost to make but it was obviously pretty low budget. Having said that though, the result that the film-makers achieved here is quite something.

The movie is engaging, very well acted by all of the characters and the script is tight and quite believable, especially since the movie is based on a true story (as so many are these days).

As a parable of what amounts to modern-day slavery, it's a great story and I for one can quite understand why the main character Hermogenes ended up killing his boss who'd been abusing he and his wife Gladys for so long.

I cannot let this review pass without mentioning the revulsion that I felt in many scenes at what was done in Latuada's several butchers' shops to make rotten meat even slightly presentable to potential customers. As a human being, I am as near to carnivorous as it might be possible to be but this movie nearly made me a vegetarian, such was the revulsion that I felt at the sight of all the meat that also has a starring role here. Yuuuuukkkkkkk!!

JMV.

Although Argentina has a long road in the recognition of human rights, it still has a pending debt with respect to labor rights, with working under the table being one of the most relevant problems that has worsened seriously in recent years. The film tells the story of Hermógenes, a low-class, illiterate butcher born in a town in the interior of Argentina who moves with his partner to Buenos Aires to progress. There he will be exploited in a cruel and dehumanized way by his "boss" with whom he will maintain a close relationship to slavery. The performances are excellent causing a great indignation in the viewer, and although there are no great scenarios or a photographed work, we find a film that works with its objective that is to show the exploitation suffered by people of low educational training while movintg to large urban centers. 8/10