Camino del Infierno

Two of Argentina’s noir greats, Daniel Tinayre and Luis Saslavsky, join forces to co-direct Camino del infierno, not to be confused with the later Mexican noir of the same name. Told in multiple flashbacks by multiple characters, the film takes its time to share the story of a poisonous marriage built on secrets and lies, but viewers who stick with the film’s methodical pacing and shortage of action will be rewarded in the third act when the plot lifts off and the truth is unraveled. While the beautiful wealthy widow Laura Simrok (Mecha Ortiz) is ostensibly the film’s villain, given her constant emotional manipulation of artist husband Alberto Miranda (Pedro López Lagar), Alberto’s behavior, including abandoning his impoverished family in the countryside and committing adultery, earns him no moral prizes either. You could say Laura and Alberto deserve each other, both having grabbed what they wanted from the other, but such selfishness will be punished by the tale’s end. While it’s not quite a Gothic noir, Camino del infierno plays with Gothic aesthetics on occasion, including a cavernous mansion, a black-attired housekeeper, and one gorgeous scene where a horse and buggy pass beneath a gas streetlamp in the fog. The directors’ mise-en-scene, as would be expected, is nearly flawless, and the craftsmanship on display throughout is inventive, including deep focus through windows, low angles, high angles, smashed mirror reflections, tight over-the-shoulder shots with obscured faces, etc.