La odisea – La odisea de los giles (2019)

Directed by: Sebastián Borensztein | 116 minutes | adventure, comedy, crime | Actors: Ricardo Darín, Luis Brandoni, Verónica Llinás, Daniel Aráoz, Germán Rodríguez, Alejandro Gigena, Guillermo Jacubowicz, Ramiro Vayo, Martha Piatigorsky, Carlos Jorge Piñeiro, Carlos Belloso, Rita Cortese, Marco Antonio Caponi, Lucianobril, Andrés Parra, Chino Darín, Federico Beron, Ruben Albarracín, Karina Hernández, Ailín Zaninovich, José María Marcos, Javier Grecco

The Argentine ex-football player Fermin Perlassi (Ricardo Darin) lives with his wife in the village of Alsina and tries to keep his head above water at the beginning of this century by running a gas station. In recent years many people have left for the big city, Buenos Aires. When the couple gets the chance to buy an old empty silo, they see opportunities in it to set up a cooperative. That means employment and income for many villagers. One problem: the purchase price is far above the couple’s budget.

But Fermin is not giving up on his dream so easily. He manages to collect just over half of the sum from friends, acquaintances and other potential investors. He proudly puts more than $150,000 in a safe. He wants to take out a loan for the remainder, but the local banker – who knows that he has put this money in a safe – advises him to deposit this amount into an account. That way he knows for sure that the headquarters in Buenos Aires will grant him the loan.

Everyone will already feel by their water that this is going wrong. The banker cannot be trusted and the lawyer with whom this banker concludes a deal certainly cannot be trusted. And then the crisis hits Argentina: all bank balances are frozen and no more than a minimum amount can be withdrawn from the accounts per day. Fermin is at his wits’ end, but together they come up with a plan to get the money stolen from them back.

‘La odisea’ (the original title is ‘La odisea de los giles’) is a kind of Argentinean ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ without the glitz and glamor but with a pinch of Robin Hood. However, it is no ordinary heist film knock-off, the historical events of August 2001 and social situations give the film an extra meaning. The mixed group consists of somewhat flat characters, but a few have a better developed character. As a result, it does not work very well to be completely absorbed in the film; as a viewer you don’t really get a bond with the people. For example, a dramatic event has less impact than the creators probably intended.

Although the story is never surprising – the outcome can be guessed – ‘La odisea’ is nevertheless a pleasant sit. The atmosphere drawing is good and now and then some (black) humor is incorporated (especially in the scenes with Fermin’s son, played by Darin’s real son Chino, and the dorky idlers with a mobile phone). Not an edge-on-your-seat movie, but a nice pastime.