Rest in Peace (Descansar en paz) is a 2024 Argentine psychological thriller directed by Sebastián Borensztein. It is inspired by Martín Baintrub’s novel and features life’s struggles, identity complexities, and the impacts of truths that are not told. The film intertwines family drama with suspense as it follows a man who fakes his death to save his family and begin anew, only to deal with the consequences of his choices years later.
Synopsis
The action takes place in mid-1990’s Buenos Aires. The main character is Dayán, a former successful businessman, who lost it all due to his maddening debt and a violent loan shark, Hugo Brenner, who’s eager to extract everything he can out of Sergio. Like a true shark. Sergio’s heavily in debt and worries for the safety of his family leading him to take desperate measures. Then, disaster strikes: in the sadly true 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, for the first time in Sergio C. Dayán’s life, he is misidentified as dead due to the explosion.
Instead of challenging the assumption, Sergio vanishes without a word. He escapes to Paraguay where he starts anew as Nicolás Nieto, using the money from the insurance policy he cashed in with his family’s grief as a financial support system for his new life. To Sergio, disappearing appears to be an act of selflessness—a brutal yet honorable departure that gives freedom from fear and poverty to his wife Estela and two children.
However, with the passing years, the solitude associated with self-exile deteriorates his mental state. The emergence of social media in the 2000s fuels international relationships and makes communication easier, sparking a surge of curiosity and guilt within Sergio. He becomes a spectator and discovers that Estela has also attempted to build a new life, though far more troubling, is that she is now dating Hugo Brenner—the man who brazenly threatened their family. The revelation turns Sergio’s world upside down. What enraged him fuels an emotional crisis and shatters his sense of justification. Plans that were devised with the intent to provide protection have transformed into prisons of unprecedented mental anguish.
In the process of trying to reintegrate himself, whether clandestinely or publicly, Sergio has to deal with the fact that some absences can no longer be repaired. The film serves as a reflection on how the lie that has been lived turns into life as the possibility of redemption becomes futile.
Cast and Crew
Director: Sebastián Borensztein
Screenwriters: Sebastián Borensztein and Marcos Osorio Vidal
Producing Team: Ricardo Darín, Chino Darín and Federico Posternak
Cinematography: Rodrigo Pulpeiro
Editing: Alejandro Carrillo Penovi
Music: Federico Jusid
Main Cast:
Joaquín Furriel as Sergio Dayán / Nicolás Nieto: An individual who is fleeing from his enemies and from himself. Furriel remarkably captures the emotional torment of guilt while nursing a frail hope for redemption.
Griselda Siciliani as Estela Dayán: Sergio’s wife. She anchors the emotional arcs in the film, as moves from grief to rebuilding her life.
Gabriel Goity as Hugo Brenner: A loan shark turned romantic interest for Estela. He adds moral nuance to an already complex picture.
Lali González as Ilu: A friend and confidant of Sergio in Paraguay, she sheds glimpses of normalcy as they navigate his double life.
Luciano Borges as Raúl – This highlights another puzzle piece of Sergio’s new life narrative showcasing the duality of his past and present.
Thematic Concerns and Stylistic Choices
Rest in Peace, in essence, is more than a mere thriller; it is a dark psychological exploration of guilt, identity, and self-reinvention. The core question is, can a being actually have a new beginning? A clean slate? or is it true that we uncontrollably remain attached to the lives, places, and people that we once hailed from?
Sergio’s tedious life in isolation is encapsulated in the methodical pacing of the story’s unfolding. Each flashback to the 1990s is interspersed with modern-day dramatically underscoring his disorientation, adding a fractured quality to his narrative. The film opts to forego sequential storytelling to prioritize emotional layering that builds the intricacy of each character’s decision.
Subdued and moody cinematography while capturing the chaotic vibrance of Buenos Aires, alongside the muted Paraguay creates a sharp contrast that underscores the essence of Sergio’s psychological erosion; exile is eerie silence after the cacophony of a crisis. Shadows, reflective surfaces, and tight close-ups shift the focus towards claustrophobia, secrecy, and surveillance.
Federico Jusid’s score, featuring restrained piano melodies and gentle, ambient tones, accompanies the film’s sorrowful undertone. Rather than dramatizing Sergio’s emotional state, the music—sad, unresolved, and quietly despairing—reflects it instead.
Critical Reception
In general, Rest in Peace received mixed but predominantly positive reviews upon release. Both audiences and critics appreciated the emotional depth alongside the impactful performances, particularly those of Joaquín Furriel, whose portrayal of Sergio was considered psychologically rich and understated. His nuanced depiction of regret, yearning, and disorientation is what anchors the film’s dramatic core.
At the 27th Málaga Film Festival, the film was awarded best in show receiving a Silver Biznaga for best leading actor Furriel and silver for best supporting actor Gabriel Goity, attesting to the strength of the film’s ensemble. Critics lauded the film for attempting to confront emotionally and morally complex questions, which is rare for mainstream suspense thrillers.
Critics did not unanimously praise the film, however, and several pointed out uneven pacing alongside a rich but at times meandering character-driven story teeming with repetitive themes. Others lamented the lack of depth in the political context of the AMIA bombing, viewing the event as more of a narrative catalyst than worthy subject for commentary.
The movie has received accolades for placing Argentine cinema into the international spotlight, especially considering its unconventional and stimulating plot.
Rest in Peace depicts a dark, contemplative mood while being a thriller at heart. Rest in Peace inspires thoughts beyond crime and punishment, inviting reflection on the emotional voids left by disappearing from one’s life. It’s a hiding story—not from other people, but from guilt, remorse, and the burdens of one’s choices from the past.
The film is undoubtedly a masterpiece of Argentine cinema, rich in its ability to combine suspense and psychological depth. With compelling performances, a captivating setting, and a chilling score, the film reminds us that it can be viewed as either a tragic love story or cautionary tale. Regardless, Rest in Peace epitomizes the harsh truth that the decisions made in desperation often reverberate far longer than anticipated.
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