Los debutantes (2003)

Director:

Andrés Waissbluth

Writers:

Cristián Jiménez (collaborating writer)
Julio Rojas (writer)

Release Date:

13 June 2003 (Chile)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The story of two brothers who get involved with a sexy stripper and her boss, the nightclub king of Santiago, as told from three perspectives. Sexy, gritty, emotional.

Plot Keywords:

Club | Stripper | Santiago | Santiago Chile | Female Nudity

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Antonella Ríos	...	Gracia
Néstor Cantillana	...	Silvio
Juan Pablo Miranda	...	Victor
Alejandro Trejo	...	Don Pascual
Eduardo Barril	...	Don Marco
Roberto Farías	...	Danilo
Victor Montero	...	Marcelo
Anita Alvarado	...	Solange
Mario Poblete	...	Milico Borracho
Antonia Bravo	...	Parvularia
Arturo Ruiz Tagle	...	Animador Parrilladas
Angel	...	Bailarina 1
Francisca Castro	...	Bailarina Milico
Isabel Santelices	...	Puta Milico
Alan Ramirez	...	Rodrigo Munoz

Also Known As:

The Debutantes (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

Chile

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Santiago, Chile

Trivia:

Director Andrés Waissbluth is himself a drummer who plays in one of the bands listed in the soundtrack.

Soundtrack:

Amores Incompletos

Spiraling Down the Sink Hole of Chile's Underground

Director/writer Andrés Waissbluth worked seven years to complete this two hour film about the crime underground in Santiago, Chile, and perhaps that is one of the reasons the resultant film seems episodic and in need of editing. OR, maybe this is the technique of a director who shows a fine sense of film noir storytelling.

Two brothers - Silvio the elder (Néstor Cantillana) and Victor the younger (Juan Pablo Miranda) - have moved to Santiago from their home in Temuco after their parents' death and Silvio works to support Victor's education. On Victor's seventeenth birthday Silvio takes the virgin out to the clubs where he encourages Victor to lose his virginity with one of the club's stripper/prostitutes. In a tender scene Victor must face his nascent impotency while Silvio is out on the club floor impressing the 'owners' with his potential for hire.

Silvio goes to work for the 'gang' as a bodyguard/henchman and makes good money to support Victor's schooling. But Victor has eyes for one of the dancers at the club named Gracia (Antonella Ríos) and begins to woo her, dropping out of school incurring Silvio's angry disappointment. Gracia just happens to be the squeeze of the club gang's leader Don Pascual (Alejandro Trejo) who is Silvio's boss! Gracia is the glue that holds this tale together as she is the paramour of Victor, Silvio, and Don Pascual and the consequences of this bizarre ménage a trois has deadly results. Through a means of re-telling the story through the eyes of Victor, Silvio, and Gracia we grow to understand the vulnerabilities and the cracks in each character that allow for the downfall that results.

Sound like a Chilean Pulp Fiction? Well, it is and it is filmed in a brutally colorful, dark manner that includes a lot of frontal nudity (both female and male) and provocative sexual encounters. But in the end the sensual aspect of the director's vision is what drives this film, playing on the debutante virginal psyche against the hardcore professional sex worker with success. The cast is fairly strong, especially Antonella Ríos in the demanding role of Gracia. There are enough twists and turns and replays of incidents you think you understood the first viewing but that change dramatically in impact when told through the eyes of a different character. Bordering on two hours, some judicious editing would have helped the impact of the film. In Spanish with English subtitles. Recommended for those who like the edgy film noir style and the art of South American cinema. Grady Harp