Burnt Money, which premiered at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival, is set in Argentina in 1965 and is the fourth film by director Marcelo Piñeyro.

This true story follows the tumultuous relationship between two men who became lovers and ultimately ruthless bank robbers in a notoriously famous footnote in the annals of Argentinian crime history.

Nene (Leonardo Sbaraglia), Angel (Eduardo Noriega) and Cuervo (Pablo Echarri) are bank robbers who flee from Argentina across the border to Uruguay after a large-scale hold-up that turns bloody.

Angel is hurt and the three must lay low until Angel recovers. Nene and Angel are known to everyone they know as "the twins" because of their resemblance, but the two are not brothers at all - they are involved in a steamy homosexual relationship.

To get back to Argentina, the group must first wait for Fontana, the brains behind the robbery, to arrange for passports. Anxious from hiding, Cuervo decides to break curfew and go party.

After Nene and Angel also decide to take off, Nene meets a prostitute named Giselle and Angel ends up getting in a fight. The group is forced to abandon their refuge and Angel and Nene decide to move in with Giselle.

However, the sexual attraction between Nene and Angel burns too strongly and when Nene gets hostile with Giselle and kicks her out, she goes straight to the police to snitch on the group. It's not long before police are surrounding the building and the fate of Nene and Angel appears to be sealed.

The gay magazine of Spain, Zero magazine, calls this movie one of the most important films of the past 10 years.

It represents perhaps the next film in gay movies where "gayness" is not the end-all-be-all focus of the film (as is the case in many gay movies made by Hollywood)

Burnt Money RULES! It is not only based on a true story (1965) but is a remarkable example of South American Cinema that finally is recognizing a GLBTQ element!

Superbly written and casteed, it probably will take the a viewer a bit of time to suddenly understand the rare quality of this film, as it begins with a ounch, lulls off a bit, and then increases the drama/energy in the final 45 min. or so.

It remains one of my fave films, and the last 10 min. or so, is probably, at least in my book, one of the most unique "love scenes" I have ever seen on film...

For American audiences, this is only slightly reminiscent of "Dog Day Afternoon" , (also based on facrt in the USA) , but so much better done!

Catch the wave!... FINALLY... Latin-American Cinema is getting in gear!

Written by: Bob (GLBTQ-Cinema - Owner)
on the About Gay Movies Forum.

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