PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Luis Ortega, directorof the filmEl Angel.
Carlos Robledo Puch is the longest-serving prisoner in the history of Argentina. Luis Ortega brings to the 71st Festival De Cannes in the Un Certain Regard Section, El Angel, a film based on Puch’s life and his “criminal” adolescence. Ortega comments on Carlos Robledo Puch’s declaration that he would have wanted Quentin Tarantino to direct a film about his life. Ortega also admits that there are many autobiographic elements from his own childhood to the story so the film is only based on Robledo Puch’s figure. El Angel is a mix of comedy and noir, two genres whose elements are notably mixed and balanced in the film.
El Angel: Buenos Aires, 1971. Carlitos is a seventeen-year-old youth. As a young boy, he coveted other people’s things, but it wasn’t until his early adolescence that his true calling—to be a thief—manifested itself. When he meets Ramon at his new school, Carlitos is immediately drawn to him. Together they will embark on a journey of discoveries, love and crime. Killing is just a random offshoot of the violence, which continues to escalate until Carlitos is finally apprehended. Because of his angelic appearance, the press dubs Carlitos “The Angel of Death.” Altogether, he is believed to have committed over forty thefts and eleven homicides. Today, after more than forty-five years in jail, Carlos Robledo Puch is the longest-serving prisoner in the history of Argentina.
For the page of the film on the Festival website, click here.
"A Dan in Vain" by Lee Hong-Chi is a powerful glimpse into Shanghai lost hopes, capturing young artists' internal struggles and societal pressures with minimal emotion.
"Director's Diary" by Aleksandr Sokurov is a film that reveals the personal diary of a director, between history, memory and the simple life of the Russian people, with a universal message.