 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: The Attachment Diaries (aka El Apego) • Year: 2021 • Country: Argentina • Director: Valentín Javier Diment • Main cast: Jimena Anganuzzi, Lola Berthet, Edgardo Castro, Germán De Silva • Runtime: 102 minutes • Production company: Peliculas V • TRAILER
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I wish I could say something more positive about The Attachment Diaries (2021). Dead rapists, lesbian murderers, and an Argentinian abortion clinic in the 70s are just a few of the ingredients that could have turned this piece into the perfect B-series erotic thriller. With such a proposal I just would have expected a bit more magnificence. In the beginning, director Valentín Javier Diment just seems to want to take it easy. Fortunately, it’s only the beginning.
Following Valerie Solanas’ motto that all men are scum, The Attachment Diaries (2021) follows the story of Carla (Jimena Anganuzzi) a pregnant woman victim of rape that arrives, and Irina (Lola Berthet) a gynecologist and abortionist. Set in black and white, the first hour of the movie intertwines references to Ingmar Bergman’s Persona (1966) while trying to get playful with some Almodovar-style sordid humor that, unfortunately, just lacks any charm and is unable to find its place. In fact, the first part just ends up looking like a dirty joke about rape. Although this might end as soon as we discover the protagonists’ real aims, that might just be too late. Together with some constrained dialogues and a regular performance (even horrifying in the case of some supporting actors), rhythm might be the greatest issue.
Now, the good side comes like the light in the Book of Genesis. “Let there be color”, Diment said. And he saw the light and it was good. From now on, everything is blissful, the birds sing a beautiful 60s Italian-canzone-made soundtrack and we start getting to the point: the violent but tender nature of attachment. The contrast between both parts is exciting and of course necessary. It’s just a pity that it didn’t come earlier, as it could have spared us half an hour of nothingness and disguise the fact that the end just rushes and fails to make any sense.
While it fails to keep a rhythm and fails at crucial points, I must admit, all in all, I enjoyed some parts of the movie. There just might be different ways to view The Attachment Diaries (2021). One that might come as a vindication of queerness, a fierceful exploration of trauma and an ironic portrait of social differences in the subtle landscape of Argentinian 70’s dictatorship. Another one might be the narrative of a macho, who just cared too much about the joke to manage to make a point. Both views are valid and can even work together. However, the mixture just comes off as pretentious.
RATE: 6/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt11359158
