Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: LATIN NOIR [Miami Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]

The aspect of the impact of crime noir tends to be reflected of the underlying perceptions of society. In "Latin Noir" which reflects a more decades old movement, the documentary provides an interesting perspective on the ideas that are placed in certain countries like Peru, Argentina and Cuba, many countries that have had their own internal problems. Like many other countries, sometimes the aspects of the state align too closely with police in texture of corruption. This distrust can reflect with the narrative differently within each country depending who is telling the tale. Sometime these stories are used as propaganda to bolster the structure by using a detective in a more formulaic background where it embodies the essence of the state, even when the reality is skewed. Most noir writers in the Latin Noir structure use the genre to unearth some of the problems inherent in the system. In Peru, one of the most popular novelists, is one who experienced some of the political chaos from inside. While in the documentary he downplays his involvement, just the insight inferred speaks to how knowing the innerworkings helps with a sense of reality within narrative. A good simile is Bill Clinton's recent collaboration with James Patterson, as perspective is a powerful tool. In a place like Cuba, there is a push and pull in how the word is used but the culture always dictates which way it will go. In Mexico, because of the blurring of lines, the criticism of the state is done in this way to provide an escape. While certain elements of western culture permeate and there are some references as well as image sof Humphrey Bogart and others in the film, it seems the unrest of the 70s, 80s and early 90s, especially in Central America, fanned the flames of such hard boiled crime fiction. While short, the film is fairly comprehensive is showing the different points of view and their reflective nature. B+

By Tim Wassberg