Esteban, Ricardo Darin, is a quiet normal guy with a normal life. He is meticulous in his work as a taxidermist but fantasizes about doing more exiting things with his life and intellect. While on a hunting trip with a friend, opportunity accidentally comes knocking and partially unbewilling he takes on a role more dangerous then he would have ever wanted or dreamed of.We, the viewer, take the plunge together with Esteban. His intelligence and especially his photographic memory help him to fill in a lot of the gaps, but of course we know from the start that he's in over his head. Still, we keep guessing, we keep getting snippets and clues of what's going on and where it's all going. It's film noir in it's purest form, a stunning, gripping mystery laden with suspense and dread. Everything happening at a snails pace but as Esteban slowly loses grip on the situation, the story grips the viewer tighter and tighter.Ricardo Darin is perfect as the naive Esteban. The man is magnetic and completely effortless. I love everything I've seen with him, but this is most definitely my favourite performance.A real big shame to loose such a talented director.'Nueve Reinas' was a great film and a huge promise, but man did it come true with this film. What other masterpieces could he have made. Made me a little sad whilst watching. These are the types of films I personally absolutely love. Sober, slow burning yet extremely watchable. Not nearly this good, but thematically similar and also pretty recent and from Argentina is 'Todos Tenemos Un Plan'. And another film this also reminded me of was 'Intacto' but then purely the mystery factor, and maybe some of the settings.Highly recommended masterpiece 10/10

The second and final feature of Argentinean director Fabian Bielinsky's, "The Aura" is a wonderful follow-up to his acclaimed drama, "Nine Queens" (2000). "The Aura" stars Ricardo Darin as Espinosa, a man known mostly for his profession as a taxidermist, whose troubled home life leaves him with only his passion for his work, and dreams of planning the perfect crime. With a plot that any action/thriller director would jump at, deliberate and muted style is evident throughout, and creates something beautiful to behold.After Espinosa's wife leaves him, he reluctantly decides to get out of the city and head south into mountainous regions for hunting with a friend. They stay at a remote cabin run by a young woman. A sick wife calls Espinosa's friend away the next day, but Espinosa stays to stick it out. After a seizure, he becomes confused while encountering a deer, and accidentally shoots Dietrich, the husband of the young woman, who appears to have had a secret life of his own with another remote cabin. Bielinsky's dark and provocative noir deepens as Espinosa explores Dietrich's cabin, which is filled with meticulous plans for an upcoming robbery of a local casino with two hired criminals who soon arrive in search of their man. Espinosa has perfect recall and uses this to his advantage by assuming Dietrich's plan and taking his place as he fabricates reasons for Dietrich's absence.He's soon dragged fully into their scheme, his dreams of a perfect crime - so long in his mind - perhaps deluding him that everything will work out. Naturally there are plenty of complications and twists along the way, because as in real life, there are always unexpected variables. The ending itself is quite a satisfying one even without a showy set piece to underline it - it's brutal, but low-key, consistent with the rest of the film's tone. The theme of disconnection is emphasized as he drifts in and out of a fantasy world. His 'experiences' don't seem any more vital than reality. The pacing overall is measured which allows you to fully absorb Espinosa's journey, and the unusual surroundings of the mountain town. There's probably less dialogue than in most 125 minute films you'll see. All the minor characters are flawlessly portrayed, there's not a weak link among them, with Fonzi especially good as the beaten-down Diana. Checco Varese's washed-out cinematography gives the film a further noirish edge, with plenty of interesting angles and framing, whilst the music of Lucio Godoy works brilliantly in a few key scenes without barely raising above an ominous pulse. Based on this and the earlier "Nine Queens," Bielinsky's loss at the young age of 46 (from a heart attack) is a devastating loss for Argentinean cinema. Both are superb, absorbing dramas, cleverly constructed and with brilliant lead performances by Ricardo Darin.

The Aura (2005)A special film, set in southern Argentina, that plays with the interior mechanizing thoughts of a taxidermist with epilepsy who by accident is on the fringe of a major crime. The leading man, Esteban, played by Ricardo Darin, is penetrating and subtle and persuasive. The story supports his high level of sheer acting by turning and turning further as you go. There are times it seems slow, for sure, but the deliberate pace is something like the deliberate thinking done on screen by Esteban.One of the brave strengths of the style of filming has become common in the last decade or two--we see something happen and only later realize it is completely imagined by the character. The surprise is fun, and your mind has to quickly reposition yourself as a viewer to what the current reality actually is. This happens right away and it's a brilliant kind of storytelling. In a similar way, we see Esteban's thoughts race visually as he thinks through his answers--a fast series of mental images from earlier observations has him logically assembling his next move right before our eyes. The effect is both fast and engaging. And Darin is so likable and respectable in his quiet brooding, it's easy to join him in his head.Director and writer Fabian Bielinsky shows brilliant planning and a lyrical photographic vision (with cinematographer Checco Varese), and it's a sad loss to read he died just after the release of this movie. If you can adjust to the methodical pace, and enjoy the construction and psychology of movies like this ("Memento" comes to mind as a flashier American film in a similar vein), you'll really appreciate it. Yes, it reveals its cleverness a little too much sometimes, or adds characters (like the guy at the casino) who are interesting and yet end up a it peripheral. You can study and quibble over the details in a movie like this. But overall it's a special film, worth watching with appreciation.

A visitor to the woodsman's lodge says the woodsman isn't returning. but he knows he has discovered the well drawn out plan in the Woodsman's private cabin and due to a picture perfect memory good enough info to keep the original planned heist going. The Casino has customers showing up for the last of the Casino Days, a planned armored car pick up, and and an air of desperation is thick. Main Character has epilepsy fits that allow him to recharge his mind and body so reality/priorities have new meaning. The Malady gives him a lifeline in the scattered sequence of events unfolding during this last weekend armored car heist. To his priorities and his not being in control. (English Subtitle)