– Hugo Ruiz reaffirms his abrasive, striking style with another descent into hell and a final twist that reshapes everything that came before
Ester Expósito and Chino Darín in Dante
A punch straight to the stomach. A succession of unflinching, gripping moments, drenched in blood, violence and a stark demonstration of just how far humanity can go in its most savage form. That was One Night with Adela and Dante, the second feature written and directed by Aragonese filmmaker Hugo Ruiz, continues in that same bold, brutal and aggressive vein. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, where Ruiz won the Best New Narrative Director Award two years ago for his debut feature.
Although Dante isn’t a (fake) long take like that first film, it too unfolds over just a few hours, with the sun never shining. If, in the moonlight, all cats are grey, humans bare their claws, drop their masks and sharpen their teeth. It is against this murky, grimy and oppressive backdrop that Dante’s plot takes shape, beginning with a road accident and ending with a surprise that gives meaning to an ordeal that had, at times, made us question its coherence.
It makes perfect sense that this film has been selected for the Escape from Tribeca section of the New York film festival, dedicated to genre cinema and high-impact experiences. This is not a show for everyone; the faint-hearted should stay away, because there isn’t a single saint in sight, as the protagonist warns towards the end.
This protagonist is Eduardo (played by Argentine actor Chino Darín), a friendly paramedic who drives an ambulance on the night shift and responds to a call for help. A man (Kike Arce), a member of the city’s underworld, is seriously injured. When Eduardo arrives at his home, the man is on his last legs, but before dying, he leaves Eduardo in a situation where, with every passing second, surviving the night becomes increasingly unlikely. Especially once Santo (a highly ironic nickname for a menacing Vicente Romero) and Mak (Ester Expósito) start banging on the door. What follows isn’t exactly conducive to sleep.
Drawing proudly on the films of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, with flashes reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours and Bringing Out the Dead fused into one, Dante – with sweat-soaked cinematography by Teo Delgado and final nods to both One Night with Adela and the 1960 British classic Peeping Tom – drags the viewer into uncomfortable territory, sordid settings and situations you want to look away, yet cannot.
Dante is produced by Gilda Productions and El Sueño Eterno Pictures, in co-production with Sissi Films and Jarana Films. International sales are handled by Film Factory Entertainment.
(Translated from Spanish)
