Argentine screenwriter, director and producer Damian Cifron surprised moviegoers in 2014 with his wild talesa series of independent stories that explore how revenge and violence emerge unexpectedly in situations of everyday urban life.
The unexpected twists and dissections of human nature in extreme situations remain more or less intact in Misanthrope, the police record is clearly under the influence Silence of the Lambs And se7enand starring Shailene Woodley, an actress who got her start in television with the series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, to later gain popularity in films with under the same star And Divergenttwo popular films based on successful youth romances.
However, those of us who go beyond the box office know that Woodley’s talent manifests itself in more modest but much stronger works such as Descendants, this wonderful comedy from the great Alexander Payne; and excellent The white bird of the blizzard belonging terrible child independent cinema, Gregg Araki. Separately, it is worth mentioning his remarkable work in the HBO series. Big little liesas well as Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz and Meryl Streep.
In Ciphron’s first English-language film, Woodley plays Baltimore police officer Eleanor Falco, a depressed and addicted woman who goes out of her way to do her job as if it were a chance to redeem herself and give her life some meaning. my miserable and lonely life. The serial killer prepared to shoot the people celebrating the new year, left and right, and Falco – part of the people who came to the aid of the victims, although it was too late.
Jeffrey Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn, as always brilliant) appears, in charge of capturing the serial killer who indiscriminately killed 29 people. A veteran FBI agent picks up on Falco’s cunning and intelligence, and that’s how he assembles a team of police and agent Jack McKenzie (Jovan Adepo of Babylon) to complete their mission.
The matter is complicated by the bureaucracy and thirst for power inherent in the system, combined with the exceptional professionalism of a hitman who not only covers his tracks meticulously, but also returns to his business in a crowded shopping center with people.
Even though Szifron tries to direct the work of Jonathan Demme and David Fincher, the truth is that it remains at the level of a good chapter. CSI or criminal minds. Likewise, those who expected to see a film comparable to or better than wild tales They will be greatly disappointed.
However, thanks to the strong performances of Woodley and Mendelssohn and the enveloping pace achieved by Sifron, this dark crime thriller, set in a decadent but unoriginal and cliché-riddled America, works miraculously.