Like Hitchcock with a nasty streak, Argentinian director
Rodrigo Grande crafts a tight, vicious crime thriller with At the End
of the Tunnel. With a twisting, turning, rigidly constructed plot
that shifts and evolves over the course of the movie, this is a dark, tension-heavy
throwback of the kind we see woefully few of in modern times.
Wheelchair-bound computer tech Joaquin (Leonardo Sbaraglia)
lives alone in a big house with his ancient dog, clinging to painful memories,
wallowing in isolation and shadowy grief. When finances compel him to rent out
the top floor of his house to Berta (Clara Lago), an ebullient stripper, and
her mute daughter, Betty (Una Salduende), it shakes up his life. But as he
gradually comes out of his shell, he unearths a scheme by a gang of hoods next
door to tunnel under his house and rob a local bank.
As the story progresses, he discovers the plot goes so much
further than he expected. With careful reveals, meticulously established and
executed, Grande, who also penned the script, redirects the narrative time and
again. Especially early on, just when we think we have a handle on what’s
happening, we learn we’re completely wrong and uncover layers we never see
coming.
I could’ve done without one particularly ghastly thread that
has more to do with making an already vicious criminal (Pablo Echarri) even
more revolting—without revealing too much, in one regard, it’s necessary for
mechanical reasons, but overall, it’s a step too far. And the film as a whole
could, admittedly, stand a bit of tightening in places.
Even with a handful of minor flaws, At the End of
the Tunnel packs a punch. Sbaraglia’s broken, damaged misanthrope
grows and develops, searching for redemption and connection. And Lago makes
Berta much more than just the hot-mess party-girl she appears to be at first.
Slick editing, excellent use of interior confines and overgrown exteriors, and
a unique score and sound editing, create a package that’s both fresh and
familiar, putting new flourishes on a classic noir-inspired tale.
[Grade: B+]
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