Trenque Lauquen (2022)★ 7.6/10

The film is truly a delight, akin to reading a suspense novel that keeps the audience eager to uncover the unknown. The characters' fates and the unpredictable plot twists draw the audience in. The use of letters, radio, and recordings to tell the story connects characters across different timelines, making the narrative even more enchanting and engaging.

The first half of the film, filled with suspenseful correspondence-based mysteries, is nothing short of captivating. The narrative is thoroughly engaging, and the dual timelines surrounding the disappearance of two women only heighten the tension. The director does an excellent job, and the music is perfectly timed.

It's not hard to notice the feminist core of this film, either from the plot or the ending of the second part. The change in framing at the end reflects the character's situation at that moment. As Laura leaves the town, she's either indoors, being surrounded by men and their conversations, or out in nature, alone. This is a reflection of a specific female predicament. The final shot implies a woman breaking free from patriarchal society and entering the matriarchal world.

The director really has a clear vision, and I see why he decided to split the whole story into two separate movies. From the male point of view to the female point of view, from expanding visually to expanding through sound, from creating reality to crafting fantasy, it's like aiming to slowly move the focus from the external material world to inner introspective depths. There is an allure in the act of searching when being constantly thrown into the unknown.

I initially thought "Part 1" was the setup and "Part 2" was the resolution, but it turned out to be more like "flipping from side A to side B”. Not only does "Part 2" fail to unravel the mystery, it actually deepens the enigma. It appears to have turned the suspense - the love letter from "Part 1”, into a “MacGuffin". The shift to a female narrative completely upends the previous male-driven narrative, which is also quite intriguing. The ending didn't resolve anything, or maybe it did, as the clues are woven throughout the entire story.

The decision to split the entire story into two movies was intentional, and it's precisely this decision that delivers countless surprises and unexpected twists, enough to hold one's attention for four straight hours. The recurring MacGuffin motif may or may not be significant, as the narrative has already achieved its intended purpose. While you might think it's trying to convey something, every visual cue suggests that everything is an illusion. Ultimately, all the events that happened in the movie are but fleeting moments.

In "Part 1”, the story initially adopted a nonlinear narrative showcasing a "from her to them” story progression, while "Part 2" further expands and responds to the inexplicable destiny using a variety of cinematic techniques. The interwoven plot links the destinies of the female characters together in an intricate way.

You'd never believe it, but the second part of the entire story transforms into a Kiyoshi Kurosawa-style fantasy thriller. The female protagonist is drawn to a more suspenseful mystery by the lake, involving two enigmatic women, yellow flowers, and a mysterious creature. Her disappearance seems perfectly logical as the search concludes, taking into consideration the psychological state of the correspondent in the letters. This puts the entire story within a beautifully crafted literary structure.

In the first half, we get a vague impression of Laura through the viewpoints of two men, who both believe Laura's disappearance has something to do with them. Despite its long runtime, the storytelling remains excellent, with all the various details explained at the end. In the second half, we see the truth from Laura's perspective, where the search is no longer the focus. The process of exploration is thrilling enough. The parts delving into the lives of two women are especially captivating, showing the director’s skillful handling of space, characters, and camera work. This film has the feel of a detective novel, but there's no culprit or victim, and maybe not even anything that could be called a crime or a case.

The literary structure and techniques create a viewing experience akin to reading a novel where clues lead to more questions, and chapters disrupt the flow. Yet the story always manages to progress to a new level under its own momentum. History intertwined in scandalous letters hides within an ordinary library in this struggling town. The sharp intuition and curiosity of a woman draw us into a maze of overlapping time and space; she's there and she's not. Emotions overflowing. Ambiguity abounds. Suspense persists. Tensions ever-present. It's truly wonderful beyond words.

El punto no está en tratar de resolver el misterio (probablemente te vuelvas loco en el intento). Lo importante está en la obsesión de los personajes por entender algo que los sobrepasa, impulsados por el amor o por mera curiosidad. Todo se sostiene por las actuaciones, la fotografía con planos abiertos, su ritmo lento pero sin pausa y una música que transmite las emociones de los personajes.

Não é difícil perceber o núcleo feminista, seja pela trama ou pelo final da segunda parte. A mudança de enquadramento no final reflete a situação da personagem naquele momento. Quando Laura sai da cidade, ela está dentro de casa, cercada por homens e suas conversas, ou na natureza, sozinha – isso é um reflexo de uma situação específica. A cena final implica uma mulher se libertando da sociedade patriarcal e entrando no mundo matriarcal.