Take a closer look at some of Hollywood's top-tier talent at the beginning of their careers.

Child Stars, Then and Now

Take a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s top-tier talent at the beginning of their careers.

Get a closer look at the most searched stars on IMDb right now.

These Stars Are on the Rise

Hall H panels, activations, and more can't-miss moments from Comic-Con 2025.

Photos We Love: San Diego Comic-Con 2025

Hall H panels, activations, and more can&#39;t-miss moments from Comic-Con 2025.

A young man murders a tango singer and, oppressed by guilt, begins a sinuous and obsessive path of redemption that will lead him to finally occupy the place left empty by the artist.

someone's got a squeezebox, Franco doesn't sleep at night

We are brought into this story slowly, with the first focus on a &quot;den of thieves&quot; in Buenos Aires. They live in squalid conditions, counting the disposition of a dozen cheap beers consumed in the day as an issue of great importance. We eventually find that they are henchmen to an art museum guard who is planning the theft of a somewhat important, but very sale-able piece of art. We also find that one of the group, Franco, has murdered a man in a theft gone very bad, taking only pocket change and a cassette tape. This tape becomes the entry point into Franco&#39;s obsession. He listens to the music and begins to sing along. Between flashbacks from the murder we find the identity of the victim to be a tango singer of some small local fame but possessed of the real soul of the tango. We alternate between the group&#39;s plans for the theft and Franco&#39;s pursuit of the life he eliminated. The development of the group&#39;s characters is a bit of a dead end in that by the middle of the movie they become little more than a plot element to resolve the end of the story. As Franco estranges himself from the group and their plans he insinuates himself into the life of his victim, working with the partner (a bandoneon player), singing at the club, sleeping with the wife. It&#39;s a beautifully done, wonderfully sung movie. It has become one of my strongest memories from the Cleveland International Film Festival. More music would have been even better, and although the ending is a little bit contrived, we know that Franco must die to complete the circle. It doesn&#39;t matter how; it helps the irony that it&#39;s his partners. Queue up some Astor Piazolla for when you get home.

tt0283354

Garúa

This little seen Argentine drama is worth a screening. It just premiered in the major Brazilian Film Festivals, four years after the picture&#39;s release date, and that&#39;s in Argentina&#39;s closest neighboring country and largest trade partner. It was, however screened in competition at the 2005 Shanghai International Film Festival. So, maybe the film will get a new life, and more exposure. The low number of IMDb votes in 4 years and its recent festival premiere in Brazil indicate that it has indeed not been seen much. That&#39;s a shame, since it has great appeal to tango lovers, even if it is not for everyone. &quot;Garúa&quot; is the name of a famous Argentinian tango. It is also Spanish for that foggy light rain, the kind that evaporates before hitting the ground. So, that metaphor will shed a lot of light on the film&#39;s theme. The plot begins with Franco killing a tango singer, &amp; the weight of guilt begins to haunt him obsessively. He finds himself compelled to find out more about his victim in order apparently to alleviate his guilt. This takes him into the fascinating world of tango in bohemian Buenos Aires, with true artists around. Franco becomes involved in the tango scene and starts filling gaps left by the dead man, including involvement in the deceased&#39;s personal life. The scene is set.... A very recommendable tango drama.

User reviews

Garúa

someone's got a squeezebox, Franco doesn't sleep at night

A dramatic tango

More from this title

More to explore

Recently viewed