After being scammed into bankruptcy, a community of working-class Argentines band together to devise the ultimate payback – an elaborate money heist inspired by the movies – in Sebastián Borensztein’s winning underdog comedy.
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Based on the novel by Eduardo Sacheri [The Secret in Their Eyes], Heroic Losers is by turns sombre, hilarious, and suspenseful… with a memorable crew of characters you can’t help but root for.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2020
Heroic Losers 2019
La Odisea de los Giles
This film is screening in select cinemas and venues across the country. See here for details.
Ricardo Darín, Argentina’s rustic leading everyman and no stranger to the crime-caper genre, stars in this endearing, old-timey heist movie about sticking it to the man. When Darín and his hardworking neighbours are fleeced of their life savings on the eve of the country’s 2001 financial crisis, the future looks grim, until they get a tip-off that the devious lawyer who swindled their cash has hidden it all in an underground vault, presumably for a rainy day. Revenge has never felt so satisfying – or sweetly ironic – as the titular losers plot to reclaim what’s rightfully theirs on the night of a torrential downpour.
“Empathetic and entertaining… Heroic Losers’ always timely, universally relatable tale goes a considerable way. Pitting ordinary folks against the rich, powerful and unscrupulous has long given Robin Hood-style stories an appealing glow, as has exploring the economic disparity and potential for corruption inherent in such class clashes… Transforming bleak reality into an uplifting fantasy… it’s pure cathartic escapism… [and] when the central heist clicks into gear, the film cracks its way into rousing territory.” — Sarah Ward, Screendaily
About the Filmmaker
Sebastián Borensztein was born in Buenos Aires. Before directing features, he was a prolific and award-winning TV producer, writer and director. Heroic Losers is his latest film. Selected filmography: Kóblic (2016), Chinese Take-Out (2011), Sin memoria (2010), The Die is Cast (2005).