Queer partners-in-crime stories are not a common cinematic genre, but in the 1940s and ’50s there were Rope and Compulsion—and in 1992 their “remake” Swoon, as well as Gregg Araki’s The Living End.
In 2000, from Argentina, came Plata Quemada (Burnt Money), and now—as that country’s Academy Award selection—we have Luis Ortega’s EL ANGEL, screening this weekend in Hollywood.
Starring Lorenzo Ferro, EL ANGEL tells the tale of teenaged killer Carlitos and his addictions to thrills, theft, and Ramón—his reform school buddy, played by Chino Darín. Once Ramón’s ex-con father shows the boys the ropes, they’re off and running in Ortega’s flashy, fast-paced drama, based on the life of Carlos Robledo Puch, the longest-serving inmate in Argentina.
Friday, November 30, at 7:30 pm.
Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles.
From top: Lorenzo Ferro in El Angel; poster image courtesy K & S Films; Chino Darín (left) and Ferro; Ferro. Image credit: The Orchard.