Amor Bandido (also known as Bandit Love and Wicked Love) is an Argentinian thriller which was directed and co-written by Daniel Andres Werner in his feature length directorial debut. When it comes to well known examples of inappropriate love, Lolita comes to mind, here the roles are reversed with a woman preying on a teenage boy. While this started off as an uncomfortable romance film, it abruptly transitions within a few key scenes into much more of a thriller.
Joan (Renato Quattordio) is a sixteen year old high school student who has been having an affair with his thirty five year old teacher, Luciana (Romina Ricci). Due to the situation not being right, she quits her job, with the aim of putting distance between their wrong romance. After convincing Luciana to let him leave with her, the two head out to the remote rural mansion that her parents had left to her. For a time things seem idyllic, the couple are able to explore their feelings for each other in seclusion. The arrival of a wounded man (Rafael Ferro) one day shatters their peace, and it becomes clear that everything Joan believed to be true was all part of a sinister plan.
The film begins in medias re, that is to say, it starts at a later point in the movie before heading back to show how events came to be. With Amor Bandido it all begins with Joan fleeing the rural mansion, and so it is clear from the offset that something bad is going to happen. That all begins at around the halfway point of this eighty minute film, and before that we get half a film about an incorrect love. The first half does effectively demonstrate the relationship the two have. Joan is obviously an innocent with how the world works, his immaturity is shown time and time again, Luciana on the other hand is far more restrained and mature. It is clear that at best the two have a lustful rather than loving situation going on. It leads to a whole host of sex scenes that were very uncomfortable to sit through.
It was a relief to me (though not to the characters) when the tone shifts with the arrival of the wounded man. It isn't long before this becomes a thriller, and really helps to make Joan into a character to be pitied. Quattordio performs his role wonderfully, he is believable as a gullible teen, and acts his age perfectly.
Much of the soundtrack is cello based, something that ties in to how Luciana first fell for the boy. This gives the film more of a mellow restrained feel to events. In a nice touch, at one point, Joan decides to play the cello, and begins the first notes of the movie's soundtrack. The film is more of a crime drama than an intense thriller, though it has its moments. Joan is portrayed as someone well out of his depth, being forced to confront a seasoned criminal. The character of Luciana is something of a mystery, it never feels like the real character is revealed to the viewer, other than in smaller subtler moments. Accompanying the increase in danger are some good makeup used to simulate bruises and cuts, and some gunshot noises that for once actually sound decent (have been watching a fair few movies lately where it sounded like gunshot sound effects didn't make it past the placeholder stage). As stark as the film gets, I never felt like there was too much danger, there are some nasty moments here of sexual assault that were not pleasant to watch, and there were admittedly a couple of great fight scenes, but Joan's torture remained mostly one stemming from psychological abuse and betrayal.
An inappropriate love story was never going to make for a comfortable movie to watch, so the first half especially wasn't that entertaining for me. The second half does improve things, leading up to a finale that was well paced and somewhat satisfying. Amor Bandido is due for release via Cinephobia Releasing.
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