White Elephant

• director: Pablo Trapero
• actor: Jérémie Renier Martina Gusman Ricardo Darín
• writer: Pablo Trapero

Synopsis:

In the vast, poverty-stricken and highly dangerous Buenos Aires slum that is the Villa Virgen, two men – bothfriends, both Catholic priests, both deeply respected by the local community for their tireless endeavours on behalf of the poor and the dispossessed – take very different paths in their struggle against violence, corruption and injustice.

Julian uses his political connections to oversee the construction of a hospital. Nicolas has joined Julian following the failure of a project in the jungle, after paramilitary forces assassinated members of the local community. Deeply troubled, he is facing a profound crisis of faith – faith in himself, faith in the ability of the Catholic Church to protect the interests of the poor, faith in God.

Between them is Luciana, an attractive atheist social worker who works alongside Julian but begins to grow closer to Nicolas, exacerbating doubts about his vocation.

Ravaged by constant struggle, torn apart by the conflicting interests of rival drug cartels, venal political ambitions, rampant police corruption and the basic needs of the people, the Villa is a place of ever-growing tensions. When work on the hospital is stopped by ministerial order, things reach boiling point and a riot erupts.

For Julian and Nicolas, the moment of reckoning – the final test of friendship and faith – arrives in a chapel where they find themselves protecting a neighbourhood youth on the run from murderous cops… [Synopsis courtesy of Wild Bunch]

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