Argentinian drama Trench Lauquen clocks in at just under four and a half hours, which might sound daunting. But it's split into 12 chapters, so think of it as the arthouse equivalent of TV miniseries - and it's a great example of the joys of storytelling.
Laura Citarella's film opens with two missing women, the botanist Laura (played by Citarella's co-writer Laura Paredes). When we catch up, Laura has given a radio talk about Mrs. Godiva and is beginning to investigate secret correspondence from the 1960s. Then things get weird : Trenck Lauquan takes place in a dance club. Material: Part road movie, part literary crime thriller, part love interest series, part story about a lost dog.
A city in the district of Buenos Aires that takes its name from the place, the seemingly informal back streets of the Pampas become a labyrinth of endless narrative possibilities. Citarella is a member of the group El Pampero Sin, which focuses on queer creativity; He was the producer of Mariano Linus' legendary and daring 13-hour film Nightmare La Flor . Here, Citarella's narration—with its flashbacks, repetitions, and overlaps—suggests the hypnotic, unpredictable flow of Roberto Bolaños' novel.
Lead actress Paredes anchors the film as a magnetic center, an elusive, frail-looking but tenacious hero—part Alice in Wonderland, part Holmesian detective, part feminist Tintin. As one of her male followers - and sometime confidant, Dr. Watson - Ezekiel Pierre has a likeable and evocative presence as the confused Red Bear. Reminiscent of Twin Peaks or the X-Files of Latin America, Trenck Louquen extracts ordinary things from everyday life to achieve a relaxed and completely magical effect.
★★★★★
In UK cinemas and Curzon home cinemas from 8 December
