Nacido para morir mixes action with sheer parody and an energetic display of martial arts
POINTS: 7
Argentine filmmaker Andrés Borghi is probably best known so far for his brilliant horror short film Alexia, which had a record figure of over one million views since it was uploaded on YouTube early this year. Featured at the scream fests of Sitges and Fantaspoa and winner of the Best Short Film Award at Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre, Alexia turned to social networks for a ghostly tale of bitter exes who literally haunt you to death. Prior to Alexia, and among other short films, Borghi made the short Otakus, which was also a big hit on YouTube, a comedy/action film that displayed his fixation with Japanese cartoons. Another singular work is Working Day, made in New Zealand and lauded by famous LOTR and Hobbit director Peter Jackson.
Now comes the time for the commercial release of his entertaining full length feature Nacido para morir (“Born to Die”), previously featured in a number of international film festivals, chief among which Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre, where it won four awards, including Best Director and the Audience Award.
It follows special agent Marcelo Riesgo, who faces a new mission in his continuous fight against terrorism. This time he’s after Poker Face, a malevolent villain who has kidnapped Doctor Pupete, a famed expert in spicy sauces. Thing is, Doctor Pupete has discovered a precious and very powerful formula that could eventually replace all fuels used worldwide — literally. So it’s easy to see that whoever has the formula will rule the world — which will translate into a catastrophe of huge proportions. With little time to accomplish his mission, agent Riesgo will risk his life to defeat Poker Face.
Nacido para morir is, first and foremost, a fine example of genre crossbreeding as it mixes many characteristics from action films — think James Bond — with effective comedic visual and verbal gags alongside an ingenious touch of the fantastique. At the same time, there’s also room for a tongue-in-cheek tone, sheer parody and an energetic display of martial arts. It’s a challenging bet that could have easily gone awry, but that’s not case here, as it all amounts to an amusingly bizarre cinematic experience, as surprising as it is refreshing.
But don’t get me wrong: Nacido para morir is not a perfect film by any means, as it also has its flaws. Though it starts in a very organic manner, as it unfolds it tends to become overplotted and the impact of the story is occasionally lessened. Then, it could have used less dialogue, all the more considering the visuals are so attractive. And not all the gags work to the same extent — and when they don’t, it shows. Last and not least, it runs 100 minutes, which is somewhat overlong.
On the other hand, Borghi shows considerable talent in taking very good advantage of every single element of the language of cinema. Camera placement is not an easy task, but cinematographer Christian Barrozo finds the best possible angles and points of view for each scene. Let alone the inventive use of a palette that goes hand in hand with the atmosphere of different zones in the narrative. Simply put: you see the whole scenario under the best possible light.
Likewise, the tight editing and the notable VFX by Andrés Borghi — who also plays a key character, Guadalajara Man, to great effect — are aesthetically alluring and technically impeccable. One of the best accomplishments for a filmmaker is to create a world of their own, and in this regard Borghi excels. Because despite the many stylistic influences, Nacido para morir is never a derivative piece of work. In fact, it’s a very free film that ventures into different terrains and refuses to be formulaic. In the end, it’s the work of a very promising auteur who has already shown outstanding credentials.
Limited release
BAMA Movie Theatre (Av. Pres. Roque Sáenz Peña 1145) at 10.30pm.
Production notes
Nacido para Morir (Argentina, 2014). Written and directed by Andrés Borghi. With Leandro Cóccaro, Vanina Balena, Nicolás Stilman, Juan Mingrone, Andrés Borghi. Cinematography: Cristian Barrozo. Editing and VFX: Andrés Borghi. Running time: 100 minutes.
@pablsuarez
