Cenizas del paraíso

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with the fall of the respected judge Costa Makantasis (Héctor Alterio) from the Federal Courthouse. Next, his oldest son Pablo (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is seen dragging the body of young and beautiful Ana Muro (Leticia Brédice) through the house in which he lives with his two younger brothers.
Two different judges begin to investigate the two deaths. It is soon assumed that Costa Makantasis committed suicide. The case of Ana Muro, however, investigated by Beatriz Teller (Cecilia Roth), is complicated by the fact that all three sons confess the murder, each claiming that he acted alone and that the other two are innocent; and really some evidence speaks against each one of them. In addition, they urge Teller to believe that their father was murdered and that his case also requires investigation. Teller, on the other hand, is pressured by her superiors to hand over the case of the three brothers to the judge assigned to Costa Makantasis' apparent suicide. Fearing that a dirty truth behind the supposed suicide shall be covered up, she risks her career by rejecting to give up her case.
Combining cutbacks with segments of the investigations and hearings, the film sets to unravelling the story leading up to the deaths. The remaining film is divided into four unequal parts, each dedicated to one of the sons and Ana Muro. In each part, fragments of the story are shown from the perspective of the respective character, combining to the complete picture only at the end of the film.
It becomes apparent that Costa Makantasis had investigated Ana Muro's father, the powerful businessman Francisco Muro (Jorge Marrale), suspecting him to be involved in corruption and even murder. Unbeknown to the two, Makantasis' youngest son, Alejandro (Nicolás Abeles), and Ana Muro fell in love with each other, and Ana Muro moved in with Alejandro and his brothers. When Costa Makantasis found out that Ana was Francisco Muro's daughter, he was concerned, but believed that their private and his professional affairs with the Muro family should and could remain separate. For a short time, everything seemed perfect: Alejandro and Ana were a happy couple, and the Makantasis family celebrated the father's anniversary with a frolicsome party.
Soon, however, tensions arose both from inside and outside of the family. Second-oldest son Nicolás (Daniel Kuzniecka) cheated with Ana on his brother, and later, Ana also tried to flirt with oldest brother Pablo; Pablo, who had in the past snatched some of Nicolás' girl-friends, resisted Ana's charm and instead found out about her infidelity with Nicolás.
Francisco Muro, on the other hand, found out about the relationship between his daughter and the son of his political opponent, assumed foul-play and came close to threatening Costa Makantasis to keep his son away from Ana. The conflict between the judge and the businessman generally increased, and Costa Makantasis suspected that Muro tapped his house. So, when Costa Makantatis saw that Ana Muro let employees of her father into his house, he and his oldest son told her to stop that and explained it with the suspicions against her father. Believing in a misconception, Ana took secret documents of her father to Costa Makantasis' office to prove her father's innocence. There, however, she had a closer look at the documents, realized that at least some of the suspicions were well-founded, and flew the office.
Just after she departed, two of Muro's employees arrived and killed Makantasis by pushing him from the roof of the building. Ana Muro had just left the building, whereas the three Makantasis brothers were just arriving at the Courthouse to take their father to lunch. At the moment of the murder, Ana Muro looked up to the roof and saw that the judge was being pushed; Pablo watched Ana Muro look up and, mistaking her troubled look, believed her to be involved in what he instantly understands to be his father's murder. So, when Ana leaves the scene, he shouts to his brothers that she had killed their father; when Alejandro objects, Pablo reveals that Ana had cheated on him with Nicolás. Then Pablo followed Ana, who raced to her father, threw the secret documents back at him and called him a murderer in public. Pablo, watching the scene, realized that Ana had not been part of the crime.
Alejandro, however, had now heard Pablo's accusations and seen Nicolás' guilty face. He turned home where he tore down and cut off the decorations that Ana and he had set up in his room. When Ana came home to him, he affronted her, telling her she cheated on him and killed his father. Ana, almost in tears, affirmed both, but added that she loved him. When Alejandro continued to offend her, she thrust herself into a knife that Alejandro still held in his hand from destroying the decorations.
The film ends with a confrontation of the three brothers in the office of investigating judge Teller. It remains unclear whether Teller eventually learns the truth or whether the story told in the cutbacks remains unknown to her. After she has sent the three brothers back to their prison cells, she comments that justice may not be possible to achieve. The film finishes with the three brothers sent further and further down in an escalator to where are presumably their prison cells.

Tags: revenge, intrigue, murder, flashback

Review:
Top notch criminal who-done-it.
This a top of the line police thriller, crossed with sibling/father rivalry drama, criminal who-done-it, and psychological character study.
Quite unique really, the film is worthy of its impressive Argentine pedigree: directed by one of the country's greatest, and starring an ensemble of its best players.
They range from its eldest living legend in the father/dead judge role to its most promising and popular young ones as the three sons.
In between, the talent is just as impressive.
This includes returning native Cecilia Roth, and talented local actors, mostly seen on TV.
A very entertaining and intelligent film worth a watch..
Confessing to a crime no one committed.
This Marcelo Pineyro's 1997 directorial effort, shows a man that understands how to involve his viewers into a story that is not only pleasant to look at, but with a message.
Working with Aida Bortnik, they have created a film that will surprise a lot of people, fortunate enough to watch it.The film involves the family of a judge in Buenos Aires and his three sons.
Costa Makantasis is an honest man surrounded by corruption in higher places.
He is trying to uncover the machinations of Francisco Muro, a powerful man that is involved in many dirty business in Argentina.
As luck should have it, his younger son meets Muro's beautiful daughter, Ana. The young woman practically moves into the Makantasis household as she and Nicolas are enjoying their time together.Nicolas, the older Makantasis son, falls under the spell of Ana, as well.
And we also have seen how Pablo, the middle sibling stares at the sexy woman.
We realize there is going to be a reckoning because the way Ana is the object of love of two of the brothers who feel passionate about her.The film begins with events that are the conclusion of the events that culminate in horrible deaths for two key figures in the story.
In flashbacks, as a special judge, Beatriz Teller, examines the facts surrounding the mysterious circumstances in the two deaths, we are given the details in order to absorb what really happened.Mr. Pineyro gets excellent performances of his cast.
Hector Alterio, is seen as the head of the Makantasis family.
He is a good man who is pursuing a cause that means a danger for himself.
The wonderful Cecilia Roth plays the investigating judge Teller with a fury that shows her determination and resolve.
Leonardo Sbaraglia, one of the best actors from Argentina, is seen as Pablo, the middle brother.
Daniel Kuzniecka makes Nicolas, the older brother, come alive.
Leticia Bredice is amazing as Ana, the woman who awakens passion in all the brothers.The film will satisfy the viewers because of the rich web spun by Marcelo Pineyro to ensnare us into this interesting tale of passion and crime..
By Far the Best Argentinian Movie Ever Made.
I've seen this movie at least eight times, and I never get tired of watching it.
Among the good reasons to afirm this is that is one of the very few Argie films that tells a story, instead of using film as a political weapon.But in the other hand is his bright and excelently written screenplay (by director Marcelo Piñeyro and known argentinian screenwriter Aida Bortnik), its smart, precise and sharp directing and the gifted performances of all actors in it.On the scale of 1 to 10, I'll give this masterpiece a 10, because it really deserves it..
Ranks with best crime movies.
Viewed this movie once, liked it so much I turned around and viewed it again.
I would rate it on equal terms with LA Confidential and The Usual Suspects as one of the best modern crime movies.
It is edited in style similar to Memento, looking backward while advancing toward the ending, and this worked to make it unpredictable and entertaining throughout.
The movie was very well cast.
Letitia Bredice in particular gave an outstanding performance as a highly sexy young woman, yet intelligent and deserving of sympathy in a Marilyn Monroe kind of role.
Two other fine performances at the center of the story came from Cecilia Roth as a magistrate trying to work her way through a baffling crime and political interference, and Hector Alterio, also a magistrate, caught between his sense of duty and a situation increasingly threatening to his beloved sons.
Highly recommended for lovers of crime movies..
Lust and politics.
"Ashes from Paradise" is a great, passionate movie, partly a murder mystery and partly a complex drama about lust and politics.
It's refreshing to see a film with a crisply written script, sharply drawn characters and the depth.
The director, Mr.Pineyro chose an exceptional cast of brave,talented actors.
There are two murders in first few minutes of the movie and it would be so easy to stop at a straight police procedure.
But the director goes much further.
He tells us a story about power and corruption, about obsession and innocence, about loss and heartbreak.
Acting is exceptional, raw and passionate.Great movie from Argentina..
Beautifully acted crime-thriller with plenty of surprises.
Cenizas del Paraiso is an aptly-named crime-thriller with just the right amount of intrigue, romance, action and pathos.
Besides the compelling direction and excellent acting, I was especially impressed by how the story insinuated certain disturbing circumstances without being soap-opera vulgar about them.
The story and direction suggest an even more intriguing backstory than is overtly presented.
Hector Alterio is an amazingly versatile and charismatic actor and I would see any film of his.Regarding the previous reviewer's comment on Argentine cinema being used primarily as a political tool, among the Argentine films I've seen, many have little or no political themes.
Cenizas del Paraiso does indeed involve economic and political corruption and how it can infect other institutions.
In any case, one would hope that any country with a history of horrendous political and human rights abuses would evolve to the point where the arts and press are free enough to expose and alert the people to the dangers of such abuses.
American cinema produces and exports films about corruption in America; it is a testimony to the existence of democracy in Argentina that it is able to do so about Argentina.
That said, this film is primarily a psychological crime drama with a subplot which includes corruption..
About family.
This is basically a movie about family relations: brother with brother, father with son.Judge Makantasis and his three sons get along so well you can almost feel it as the movie goes on.
The scene where all the four dance in the Greek way shows us how well based are the love and caring from one to the others.Loyalty among brothers, because of a girl.
Loyalty with their father, and how their world goes upside down when he dies.I think is genial the way the director shows the story in a non-chronological order, dividing it in as many parts as brothers.
It makes you understand each one's motivation.A movie about family, fathers, sons, brothers, love, loyalty, sacrifice..
Thanks for the update.
I've seen this movie from Argentina, and I think my opinion can be divided in two parts: the script and way the director guides us through it.The script is an excellent thriller, with all the characters very well designed.
The three brothers and their getting along with the father...
you can feel their pain for his death.
I think the scene where all they four dance that Greek music is breath-taking.And the way the director puts us in the plot, with all the flashbacks.
You never get lost.
Separating the story in parts, it makes all much more clear.Finally, thanks a lot for the update.
I was sure Francisco Muro was not a judge..
Mystery fills the story with suspense.
Three Argentine brothers fall into the hands of a female judge, each individually claiming to be guilty of the murder of a powerful man's daughter.
Having these three men in custody, the body of the dead girl, and the news that the brothers' father, who is also a judge, was also killed, Judge Teller finds herself in trying to unravel the complex mystery.
The mystery which is presented with great passion and chaos from the very start of the film, is slowly unraveled by showing the main characters' individual perspectives of the previous week or so, one at a time.
By showing one piece of the puzzle at a time, Marcelo Piñeyro builds up much suspense and pushes the audience to try to guess what the missing pieces will be.
The story demonstrates what could happen to extremely close-knit families, such as the three men and their father, when certain destructive circumstances or people make their way into their lives.
Although certain family bonds may be bent and weakened through such circumstances, these bonds are by no means easily broken..
Not as good as I'd hoped.
I did not really get the point of "Cenizas Del Paraíso".
The movie starts off in full swing and if the viewer doesn't pay very close attention throughout the beginning he or she is in trouble.
I had to rewind the tape after about 15 minutes because I was so confused with all the details, names and events.
And movies that have so much information, especially in the very beginning, usually have a story to tell, right.
Well, the director did a great job at gluing the pieces together.
Even with all the flashbacks I knew exactly what happened when and where and I was really dying to see what had really happened and who murdered the girl, and why.
In the end I was not surprised at all, it was rather an anticlimax and I don't know what makes this movie better than an average "Matlock" episode.
Sure, the acting is good (I really felt the immense love between father and sons during the dancing scene) and the plot is quite intriguing, but it's not executed in the best way.
I wasn't expecting another "Usual Suspects" or something, but the movie made such a fuss about the murder I wasn't expecting predictability either.
Oh, and what's up with the final scene with the brothers in the elevator.
Maybe I'm complicating but is there a hidden message somewhere in there or is it just a final artistic moment.
Worth for the performances, not the thrill.