Hay unos tipos abajo

Most films are driven by plot. _Hay unos tipos abajo_ deviates from this rule. This will drive many viewers to despair, but one must keep in mind that this is, in a way, an experimental film. Its purpose is not to tell a story, but to depict a mood.

Luis Brandoni delivers one of his signature dramatic performances (on a level with his contribution to _Darse cuenta_) as a journalist who feels persecuted. "There's some guys downstairs," and the protagonist thinks they are after him. Luisina Brando, another icon of Argentinean cinema, is excellent as the journalist's equally worried partner. (The rest of the cast make brief appearances as the main characters run into them.) The setting is 1978 Argentina, and the film effectively captures the sense of danger that characterized those terrible days.

Like _La amiga_ (Jeanine Meerapfel, 1988), the film alludes briefly to the 1978 World Cup as a counterpoint: while innocent people where being persecuted, tortured, and killed, the nation was celebrating the victory of the Argentinean soccer team. This infamous situation has made it into several Argentinean films.

_Hay unos tipos abajo_ features good performances and a unique approach to one of the key themes of Argentinean cinema in the 80s. The pace is deliberately slow, as part of the point is to make the viewer feel as uneasy as the characters.