Rodrigo Moreno’s “The Deliquents” features branching storylines and runs over three hours. It showcases beautiful scenes and fascinating ideas, but its length may overwhelm the viewer. However, if you are willing to immerse yourself in Moreno’s vision, you will be spellbound. The movie is steeped in dualities and reflections, from the characters’ anagrammatic names to a narrative that seems to unfold in two separate yet parallel universes (the film’s Part One and Two) which gradually begin to come together in Part Three.
The story revolves around two men – Morán (Daniel Elias) and Román (Esteban Bigliardi) – who work in a Buenos Aires bank. Morán’s part of the story has him pulling off a low-key heist of the bank’s savings to spend three years in jail for the robbery (so confident!) and then living humbly off the proceeds for the rest of his life. He asks Román to hold the money for him, and Román agrees (under duress).
The movie then jumps to Román’s part of the story, which takes place in Cordoba, where Morán has stashed some of the loot. There, Román falls in love with Norma (Margarita Molfino), who lives on a farm with her sister Morna (Cecilia Rainero), and the movie takes another track entirely. With its labyrinthine structure, discursive storyline, and exploration of such themes as duality, reality, identity, and the nature of time, the movie is reminiscent of the great Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. And that, in itself, is a recommendation.
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