Film review: Everybody Has a Plan

Viggo Mortensen acting is superb in this dark and evocative film, writes Mark Orton.

Everybody Has a Plan
Director:
Ana Piterbarg
Cast:
Viggo Mortensen, Soledad Villamil, Daniel Fanego, Javier Godino, Sofia Gala Castiglione
Rating:
(R16)
3 stars (out of 5)

Viggo Mortensen's finest moments on screen are definitely his darker roles.

Whether it's edgy violence (Eastern Promises) or the grim post-apocalyptic setting of The Road, Mortensen's steely Scandinavian heritage serves him well.

Never one to shirk a challenge, this time he's not content with just one part or acting in English, for that matter.

Mortensen plays Agustin and Pedro, twin brothers leading very different lives: Agustin is a paediatrician in Buenos Aires, who on the surface seems content enough with his life, while Pedro ekes out a meagre existence amidst the tributaries and marshes of the Parana River delta, supplementing his income with criminal endeavours.

Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Pedro decides to visit Agustin to say goodbye. But, rather than discover his brother happy in his middle-class existence, he finds a man frustrated with his lot in life.

After the death of his brother, Agustin decides to take on his brother's identity, walking into the middle of Pedro's scurrilous existence.

Evocatively shot, Everybody Has a Plan is intriguing and vexing, in a curious noir-ish way. While it's hard to invest in Agustin's subterfuge due to a general lack of context, it's even harder to believe Pedro's acquaintances would fall so easily for Agustin's ruse.

But, there is enough in the predicament to keep you glued to see if there is any light amidst the darkness.

Best thing: Viggo Mortensen's ability to make you forget that he is playing brothers.
Worst thing:
The uneven pacing.
See it with:
Anybody not looking for a happy-ever-after ending.


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