Gangs of Buenos Aires: Revisiting 1970s and 1980s True Crime in Argentine Cinema

This paper discusses the representation of 1970s and 1980s Argentina in El clan (Pablo Trapero, 2015) and El ángel (Luis Ortega, 2018), two works that combine the genres of historical film and crime caper. Drawing on Elizabeth Jelin’s reflections on the analogy between family and state upheld by the repressive military regime that ruled Argentina 1976–1983, and closely reading the films’ cinematography, editing and mise en scène, this paper argues that the case studies, while presenting a number of aesthetic and narrative similarities, correspond to different ways of engaging with the past. El clan historicizes the events on which the film is based, situating and connecting the actions of the protagonists within a context of political violence that enabled and facilitated those actions. El ángel portrays a glamorized version of the past that mitigates the violent actions of the main characters, offering a depoliticized account, less critical of the armed conflicts that emerged in Argentine society at the time.