Heroic Losers

Heroic Losers is a 2019 Argentine heist film co-written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein, based on the novel La noche de la Usina (The Night of the Heroic Losers) by Eduardo Sacheri, who also co-wrote the screenplay. It features an ensemble cast including Ricardo Darín, Luis Brandoni, Chino Darín, Verónica Llinás, Daniel Aráoz, Carlos Belloso, Marco Caponi, Rita Cortese, and Andrés Parra. Heroic Losers was released in Argentina on 15 August 2019, and it held its international premiere as part of the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film received praise for its performances, and critics compared it to How to Steal a Million (1966) and Ocean's Eleven (2001). It was selected as the Argentine entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. Plot In August 2001, in the small town of Villa Alsina, Fermín Perlassi, his wife Lidia and his friend Antonio Fontana come up with a plan to reopen an agricultural cooperative which went bankrupt years before. To do so, they learn the minimal investment to cover the initial costs reaches 300,000 pesos and bring the idea to the town's residents: mechanic Rolo Belaúnde, self-employed fix-it brothers Gómez, unemployed riparian Medina and Carmén Lorgio, the town's shipping company's owner, who all agree and chip in. They manage to reach 158,653 pesos, which Fermín deposits in the bank vault in Villagrán. A few days later, Alvarado, the bank manager, summons Fermín to the bank and manipulates him into depositing the money in his own account. Fermín complies and travels back to Alsina, but the financial crisis reaches its peak the next day as the President decides to freeze every U.S. dollar-denominated accounts in Argentina. Alvarado knew about the incoming government measures and personally approved a loan request by Fortunato Manzi, a lawyer who converted the credit to U.S. dollars and withdrew all deposited dollar bills from Fermín's bank. Fermín and Lidia confront Alvarado, to no avail. In the way back, their car is run off the road by a truck. The accident kills Lidia and severely injures Fermín.