Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Praise For Nine Queens

Fabian Bielinsky's 2000 film, Nine Queens, is a crime film that follows two Argentinean con men, Juan and Marcos, over the course of two days. Following a chance meeting, the two men begin to commit minor cons together, but by the end of the day they are involved a lucrative scandal involving selling a rare stamp set to rich Spanish businessmen. Along the way the two men intertwine themselves with a diverse set of characters each representing different aspects of Argentine society. From a rich widow and her much younger boy friend to numerous petty thieves, Bielinsky embodies the sense of falling barriers between Argentina’s diverse population.

The quality of film making is immaculate in that not only does the moving dialogue capture the thieves’ moods, but the cinematography captures the roller coaster of emotions as well. With hundreds of thousands of dollars at steak, the men are torn to their breaking point pushing their moral limits (at least in the case of Juan). Twists and turns throughout the plot leave the viewer on the edge of their seats until the very last minute. Not only is there action, but there is comedy, deception, scams, and drama as well. This film truly embodies what a crime thriller should be; not just a few hours of cinema keeping the audience glued to their seats, but it has a genius twist leaving the viewer to question what just happened.


Nine Queens has much more to offer than two hours of amusement, it also serves as a modern perspective of Argentinean society. The society is full of different walks of life that must live together. Whether their interaction takes place through petty crimes, business deals, or begging in the subway Bielinsky touches it all. The modern Argentina is apart of a global society that embraces both capitalism and the falling social barriers between classes. This film deserves praise for its value as not only a cunning tale of deception, but a reflection of the pros and cons of Argentinean society as well.

-Steven Lauter


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8 comments:

  1. ShehzadFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:45 PM

    I have to agree, Fabian Bielinsky does do a brilliant job with the cinematography. Considering this was his first film, it was a very impressive vision that he brought to life. The overall story was also an impressive comparison to Argentinean society, allowing an outsider to quickly get a glimpse of life in Argentina.

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  2. Alyssa SheinbaumFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:47 PM

    Steven, I agree with your statement that "Nine Queens" is much more than amusement for 2 hours. It shows the world how Argentina is suffering from corruption and scams just as much as the rest of the world is. The movie really does give the viewer the full sense of Argentinean society through the scenes in the slums to the rich streets of Argentina. I also agree that this film deserves awards for accurately depicting Argentina.

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  3. BrendanFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:48 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. The Wise GorillaFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:50 PM

    Marcos is silly for falling for this scheme. Juan came to him, and the scheme was so perfect that something was quite obviously wrong. If anyone could not see this coming, then they were not skeptical enough.

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  5. BrendanFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:50 PM

    I saw that viewpoint of Argentina that you are speaking of in "Nine Queens", but I saw it more in the light of its location being a global city with global characteristics versus it being a solely Argentinean city. I do think that this perspective points out that Argentina is a country that copes with the common problems of the global scene, and it does give some character to Argentina as a place, but only in the context of other places in the world.

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  6. khargroveFebruary 3, 2009 at 12:52 PM

    I agree with your comment that the movie represents what a crime thriller should be. I believe it accurately depicts Argentine society. In doing this though, it also mixes some of global society as well.

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  7. Rohit BhatiaFebruary 3, 2009 at 1:06 PM

    Although I did not know much about Argentinean society and politics, I learned about some of it from the film. I agree that the movie does a great job of showing the political barriers and what the people do to try and overcome them. I also agree that the movie contains many different scenes that keep the movie going.

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  8. ManuelFebruary 9, 2009 at 11:20 PM

    Good film response. Some effective word choices and a fluent pace in the writing. The organiztion is also effective. Take advantage of the visual options.

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