Dolores, post-adolescent daughter of upper middle class Buenos Aires parents, is on trial as the main suspect in the murder of her best friend. The point of this film is not to elucidate the crime, but rather to show that truly competent lawyers (generally, only accessible to the rich) can confuse the issues in a criminal trial, using all means at their disposal including the news media. The resulting uncertainty makes a reasonable verdict unlikely. The subject brings to mind real life examples such as O. J. Simpson's trial.
The movie can be described a courtroom drama. It may be especially interesting to Americans, since Argentine law does not generally grant trial by jury; lawyers argue and depose witnesses in front of a panel of judges who are in charge of the final verdict. Trials by jury were mandated in Argentina by the Constitution of 1853, but never implemented until the early 21st century and are still are vastly outnumbered by trials by judges.
Lali Espósito plays Dolores perfectly, without eliciting the sympathy of the viewer. There are glimpses of her personality, most of them disturbing. Leonardo Sbaraglia does an excellent job as her father and Daniel Fanego plays Dolores' lawyer chillingly. Gael García Bernal makes the most of a small part with his usual charisma and earnestness. Script and direction are smooth and seamless. A movie to watch.
The movie can be described a courtroom drama. It may be especially interesting to Americans, since Argentine law does not generally grant trial by jury; lawyers argue and depose witnesses in front of a panel of judges who are in charge of the final verdict. Trials by jury were mandated in Argentina by the Constitution of 1853, but never implemented until the early 21st century and are still are vastly outnumbered by trials by judges.
Lali Espósito plays Dolores perfectly, without eliciting the sympathy of the viewer. There are glimpses of her personality, most of them disturbing. Leonardo Sbaraglia does an excellent job as her father and Daniel Fanego plays Dolores' lawyer chillingly. Gael García Bernal makes the most of a small part with his usual charisma and earnestness. Script and direction are smooth and seamless. A movie to watch.