Piñero’s Plata Quemada film adaptation.

Piñero’s film adaptation of he novel Plata Quemada as previously stated in my last post is loyal to historic events. Plata Quemada originally is a fiction novel that borrows from real events. At points the novel strays and follows the path of a fiction novel by creating a world that resembles our own. Something that fascinates me from both movie and novel but mostly the movie is the fact that it follows to cold-blooded killers through their journey. A physical journey to escape the authorities and it is during the escape the characters embark on another journey that is guided by their emotions and in the end it is a journey to find themselves. What is truly amazing is that these insane characters where real at one point. Taking into account that the movie follows history closer than the novel it is safe to say this couple of lunatics really did run from the cops in an epic standoff.

What is not believable is the romance between the two protagonists. This is where the movie just sites the novel. The romance is not the driving plot in the actually work of literature, however in the movie the romance plays a large role in the narration of the story or it is the one plot that is reoccurring. This is neither good or bad, it’s a stylistic choice and approach on the director’s behalf. Though it does not change much of the story it finds a balance of some sort between action and romance. At points in the movie all you get is this romantic story that shadows every other aspect of the plot. It gets to the point where the escape from the cops and living hidden away from society seems like something every couple gay or straight should do. We don’t get the feeling that these men are running for their lives instead we get the feeling that these two men really love each other and have to struggle with whatever problems they have in their relationship, whether it be that Nene is confused or that Angel wont have sex.

The choices made in the movie for good or worse they work, the faithfulness to history works also and the focus on the romance helps the story become a movie that anyone can understand. Can we do without the romance? Perhaps, the film would be just like the novel. One thing you cannot do away with is the tension between the various characters, whether sexual or not there is tension between all the characters that propel the drama that make for such a story. I wont run off anytime soon and read every historical text searching for the real Nene and Angel so to that extent I have to take the novels word that it is faithful to the real standoff in turn I would have to believe that the movie is in fact historically accurate.