“The Clan” ("El Clan") is an engrossing Argentinian crime drama from 2015 that follows the exploits of the infamous “Puccio Clan”, a middle-class family from Buenos Aires that made headlines in the 1980’s for a series of high-profile kidnappings and murders.
The story begins in 1982, when family patriarch Arquímedes Puccio (Guillermo Francella) leaves his position within the government’s intelligence service to pursue his dream of opening a small business. With aspirations of gaining in wealth and prestige, Arquímedes hatches an illicit plan to kidnap members of wealthy local families and profit on subsequent ransom payments. Alejandro (Peter Lanzani), his eldest son and a star rugby player, soon joins his father in his nefarious activities, helping to identify targets amongst the parents of his wealthy friends.
Eventually the entire Puccio family is enmeshed in a volatile series of seizures and murders, with director Pablo Trapero ("Carancho", "White Elephant") playing out this startling true story of diabolical greed and tragedy with impeccable skill. It's an unnerving and utterly mesmerizing experience, representing one of the finer products of the recent surge in quality Latin cinema.
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