The Delinquents

Morán (Elías) has crunched the numbers and figured it out. He has calculated the amount of money he needs to steal in order to live simply and comfortably for the rest of his life, without working another day. He has devised a plan not to get rich, but to free himself from the shackles of a meaningless existence as just another cog in the wheel of capitalism. Morán’s scheme includes the jail time he will serve (about 3½ years with good behavior) after he turns himself in. Which is what he’s going to do after he robs the bank. The bank where he’s worked for more than a decade. He just needs a trustworthy co-conspirator to hold on to the cash until he gets released from prison. Enter Román (Bigliardi), a co-worker of Morán’s who happens to be away from the bank when Morán pulls his inside job. Morán convinces (read: mildly blackmails) a reluctant Román to keep the money in exchange for half of it. The duo composes the title characters of Rodrigo Moreno’s magnificently sublime fable, The Delinquents (Los delincuentes).

It’s unclear what convergence of variables – both concrete and esoteric – have found home in Argentina, but its recent cinematic output has been the most inventive and engaging export going. (Extreme political tensions and perpetual economic collapse: friends or foes to the creative process? Discuss.) The local film collective El Pampero Cine has birthed two bona fide masterpieces: 2018’s La flor and 2022’s Trenque lauquen (not to mention Demián Rugna’s terrific follow-up to 2017’s Terrified, this year’s When Evil Lurks). Moreno’s film shares a number of cast and crew with the Pampero cohort, as well as a penchant for narrative mischief, but The Delinquents is a more breezy, nimble affair.

So, as Morán navigates his prison time, Román’s anxiety over his complicity in the crime threatens to derail his life. This causes a schism in his relationship with his music teacher girlfriend (Saidón), especially when an internal investigation of the robbery homes in on Román. On a trip to scenic Alpa Corral to bury the stolen money under a rock, Román has a fateful encounter. He meets Norma (Molfino), Morna (Rainero), and Ramón (Zoro), who are making an experimental documentary about gardens. If you’ve not caught on to the anagram device going on here, you should also know there’s a quick cameo from nobody’s favorite jerkface Atlantean, Namor, too. Yes, The Delinquents is that kind of movie. Anagrams, doppelgängers, and a heaping helping of Argentine rock god Norberto “Pappo” Napolitano assist Moreno in composing his epic poem on freedom and self-transcendence worthy of Beckett. Effortlessly charming and more than a little generous with its asides, The Delinquents is a film that lays out surprises and delights like a lavish feast – although it’s no surprise for those who’ve been paying attention.