Part of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s mission is to foster greater understanding through world cinema. This year 72 Foreign Language films were submitted for Golden Globes consideration. Here is an overview of one of them.

Crime and justice are at the heart of this Argentinean entry for Golden Globes consideration. The Boss: Anatomy of a Crime (El patrón, radiografía de un crimen) is the first feature film by writer-director Sebastian Schindel, known previously for his work as a documentarian, most notably the uplifting Mundo Alas. In this film Schindel retells the true story of a young farmhand exploited to a murderous breaking point by his boss and master. A real crime told first by activist writer Elias Neuman in the book he wrote after he met the real Hermógenes, an illiterate worker who was taught the craft of cutting meat by the boss who treated him like a slave.

The vicious relationship ended when Hermógenes’ boss killed his tormenter. At the time, Neuman was in charge of his defense in court as a lawyer and criminal expert who, during the trial, labored to prove what he called the “social inevitability” of his client’s act. Schindel uses this story and his craft as documentarian to tackle not only Hermógenes story but also some of the thorniest issues in Argentina’s society, among them regionalism, class discrepancies, corruption and judicial rigidity. Maybe that’s the reason why this tale of modern slavery took 14 years to make, from conception to the screen. Actors Joaquin Furriel (as Hermógenes, the farmhand relocated to Buenos Aires in search of a better life) and Luis Zimebrowski (the shop’s owner, Don Latuada) complete the main cast with admirable performances that could have quickly descended into archetype.

As The Hollywood Reporter mentions in its review, “Schindel is careful to neither condemn Hermógenes nor justify his actions (it’s clear from the start he killed Latuada) and the film spends a lot of time asking the question of how much is too much? How much abuse can any of us take before we react violently?”

The Boss: Anatomy of a Crime (El patrón, radiografía de un crimen) had a solid opening in Argentina. The film was co-produced with Venezuela and won the Busan Bank audience award in Korea. It was also runner-up for the Audience Award at the Warsaw Festival. The courtroom drama swept five kudos at Guadalajara’s 8th Films In Progress back in March.

Rocío Ayuso