Argentina, 80s in uptown Buenos Aires. The Puccios are basically an ordinary family, except that the patriarch, Archimedes, a former employee of the secret services who has been jobless since the end of the Falklands War, is in the business of kidnapping members of wealthy families for ransom. His son Alejandro begins to participate in the operations by helping target potential hostages, but realizes too late that his father never has the intention of releasing the victims alive. As the country moves towards democracy, Alejandro fights against his conscience, instead threatening the Puccios...

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It is surprising to discover El Deseo, Pedro Almodovar’s production company, in the opening credits: far from the color and over-the-top humor of the Spanish filmmaker and his protégés (Wild Tales), El Clan is a movie about Argentine gangsters that carefully follows the rules of the genre to tell the story of one of the most significant news items in the country's history – a family convicted of four kidnappings and three murders in the early 80s. It is primarily director Pablo Trapero (Leonora, Elefanto blanco) that shines in this project: as does its ostentatious soundtrack, used as a counterpoint to the violent scenes, the filmmaker takes advantage of the terrain of the genre to impose his vision and make the most of a story within a machine too well-oiled to really gain momentum. The Venice Film Festival just awarded it a Silver Lion for best director, evidence that El Clan is especially valuable for its staging.