Punto Muerto is an Argentinian film noir written & directed by Daniel De La Vega. The imagery is the star here; everything from the eyeliner-adorned male literary critic to Boris, the pearl-wearing black cat to some shots involving an open wine barrel are beautifully unique and worthy of praise. While the film excels in its aesthetic, the plot is lacking. Perhaps the ending intends to be ambiguous, but it feels unfinished (which is not uncommon throughout the third act). The meta storyline of a mystery author finding himself in the middle of a murder mystery is promising, however the potential falls short of being actualized. A critical editing eye could have improved this; that being said, I would be interested in seeing what De La Vega does in the future based on the film’s visual merits.
Punto Muerto had its North American premiere at Cinepocalypse 2019.
