By Alejandro Fernandez
Innocent until proven guilty? That’s a phrase we hear a lot but is it the truth? Everyday innocent people are accused of crimes they didn’t commit and some of these people are unlucky and end up in jail. Society as a whole has a strange fascination with crime, and it seems to be all that is seen on the news. People in society thrive and live off murder stories that they have nothing to do with and know little information about. “The Accused”, directed by Gonzalo Tobal is a suspenseful Argentinean drama that displays society’s deranged fascination with murder. This film received the Miami Film 2016 award, a financial support initiative of The Related Group and MDC’s Miami Film Festiv, and features the following actors: Lali Esposito (Dolores Dreirer), Gael Garcia Bernal (TV Talk Show Host), Leonardo Sbarglia (Luis Dreirer), and Daniel Fanego (Dolores Lawyer). This movie is shot entirely in Spanish with English subtitles. One thing that makes this movie stand out from others is that it allows the audience to form their conclusion at the end.
This film follows the life of Dolores Dreirer following the murder of her best friend at a recent party. Dolores is accused of the crime as her shirt was full of blood, and a video was found of her saying that she will kill her best friend if her sex tape gets released. Even though Dolores denies the crime, the whole town and the media can’t stop talking about the crime. Dolores has a hard time remembering the exact events of that night and her father begins to realize that they might have to face the fact that Dolores could have killed her friend. Her father even goes so far as to say, “If it turns out you are guilty then you are no longer my daughter.” This line is very effective in showing that the media is so powerful in convincing people of things that it even convinced her father that she is guilty.
The film continues to follow Dolores life for two years after the crime, showing how much of an effect society’s judgement has on her life. Dolores even goes so far as to change her hairstyle just to run and get away from everyone in society who yells and screams “murderer” at her. The main characters in the film are Dolores, her father, her lawyer, and the TV talk show host. The film takes place in a variety of settings in Argentina ranging from, homes, a school, a courtroom, and a live TV studio.
Not only did this movie have a great plot but it wouldn’t have had such an impact if it wasn’t for the performance of its actors. Lali Esposito did a phenomenal job in her role; there was a scene where she is visibly upset because her mom hits her brother. In this scene, she throws a glass vase into the wall. The audience can feel her frustration. Another scene where the audience can feel her pain is when she goes to the barn that she and her friend used to hang out, and she was on the verge of killing herself.
The director does an excellent job of keeping the audience in suspense and the music that was chosen in this film was compelling. The music was both somber and mysterious and helped to set the tone for the film. The strengths of the film are that it had a great plot, great acting, and touched on the power and effect that the media has on people’s lives. The weakness is the film is that the killer was never revealed. I found this movie to be very interesting as it kept me guessing the whole time. I also enjoyed the fact that the film doesn’t begin with the murder; instead, it eases the audience into it. I would recommend this movie to adults as it can show people how lies and gossip can spread, and at the end of the day, the only person who knows the truth is yourself.
Overall this was an engaging and suspenseful film. It touches upon essential themes that society and the media play a significant role in peoples lives and society overly obsesses about crimes and murder. The director leaves the audience guessing as to who the killer is and ends the movie with a shot of Dolores, where the audience is left piecing together their version of the facts. This movie left me thinking about how any little thing a person says can be used against them. Many times, at school friends, are heard joking with each other saying things like “I will kill you if you tell anyone.” Usually, these threats are not taken seriously. However, after watching this film, I realize I need to be more careful with the things I say to the people around me as it can be twisted and used in different contexts. After watching the movie, I realize that the phrase “innocent until proven guilty,” is not a true statement. Society follows the rule of “guilty until proven innocent.” This film does an excellent job of displaying that as well as showing how much power and influence the media has over someone’s life.
MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE 