“Three and a half years in jail or twenty at the bank.”
From the moment we are born, we are taught how to be productive members of society. We are told to get a job, start a family and, above all else, play by the rules. This is what it means to be a good citizen. But, if you were offered a shortcut – a way to cut the line to financial freedom — would you be willing to break those same rules?
The Delinquents tells the story of Moran (Daniel Elias), a longtime bank employee who is floating through life. Frustrated with his work, Moran begins to calculate how much money he would make by retirement—and how much prison time he would endure if he simply stole it. With his future in view, Moran opts to make away with $650,000 from the bank vault and reaches out to his fellow employee, Roman (Esteban Bigliardi) to hold onto the cash. Moran’s plan is to turn himself in for the jail time and split the cash upon his release. But a lot can happen in 3½ years and, as they endure their ‘sentence’, both men wonder if the consequences are worth the cost.
Directed by Rodrigo Moreno, The Delinquents is a surprisingly meditative piece that asks what makes life worth living. For Moran, the opportunity to work another two decades at the bank is merely too much to bear. Why bother dealing with the extended grind when you can suffer for a mere three years? Enlisting Roman as his co-conspirator, the two believe that freedom is worth the price that they would have to pay.
And, even if they succeed, is their crime worth the cost? To watch Roman and Moran wander through their ‘easy’ 3½ years is a reminder of the consequences that compromise can bring. In many ways, both men find themselves in prison. While he may have accepted the 3 1/2 years detention, Moran’s life in prison is far from easy. Meanwhile, Roman is also suffering. Sentenced to the daily grind of his work at the bank, Roman’s struggles in his marriage and job weigh heavily upon him.
Both men are trapped in the endless monotony of life and both are miserable.
In this way, The Delinquents recognizes the ways that life can keep us trapped. The stresses of work, lack of joy or even the snare of our cell phones are highlighted as obstacles to a life fulfilled. This isn’t just a problem for Moran and Roman. It’s a problem for us all. (In fact, Moreno equalizes his characters by the simple trope of using the same letters in all of their names, whether it’s Norma, Moran or Roman.)
In The Delinquents, everyone is asking the same question: what about life is worth living when we are stuck in the daily grind?
Delinquents is an unexpectedly contemplative piece that takes its time to explore what gives us purpose. Clocking in in over three hours, Moreno wants us to feel these moments in all their beauty and all their struggle. We are meant to experience the slow pace of life and the weight of its joy and pain.
But, even with such beautiful intent, Delinquents feels far too long. Moreno’s intent to call us to slow down has its moments of beauty but it also takes the long road to get there. While that same weight of time may be the film’s intended message, it also can be challenging for the viewer to join into the rhythm.
While The Delinquents remains a deeply moving film, the runtime remains taxing on the casual viewer. In the most admirable of intents, Delinquents requires an investment of ourselves. There’s a beauty in this form of expression that can border on transformative. But, as a viewer, one may want to consider if it’s worth the cost.
The Delinquents is available in theatres on Friday, October 27th, 2023.
