As we plough through this cursed era of remakes and unnecessary sequels, any film or TV series that features a brand new story is a blessing – and there’s nothing more original than real life. Lola Arias directs Argentinian self-proclaimed hybrid musical REAS, which sources its material from the charming inmates of Ezeiza prison a few years ago. We join Yoseli who portrays her past self as she integrates into the “family”, and learns to accept its comfort in a bleak environment. 

Being a reenactment, REAS is more a documentary than a tale, so there’s no particular climax or distinguishable arcs. Their stories are cut and pieced together like books in a library; you would not miss much if just one of these were taken out of the film, but when it’s complete it mirrors the unmoving sense of time behind bars. The women (as well as Nacho, a trans man) even narrate this themselves, in their performance of a song they wrote about their story: “No one knows what it’s like / To live counting down the days / The past won’t leave you alone / And the future never comes”. 

The odd musical-documentary genre of the film is perfect for the people it’s centred around. Nacho, Estefi, Pato, Pauli and Carla formed a band called No Control while in their captivity, and other inmates exchanged skills such as voguing and Marinera dancing – all of which are music and performance-based. The film deeply respects these aspects of the inmates, allowing them to express themselves in the highest form and relive their memories in a truly personal manner.

While the very first transition into song was a bit rocky – which wasn’t helped by the cheap 2000’s music video choreography and Yoseli’s slightly dull singing – the decision to blow her hair with a wind machine might’ve been a neat nod to her previous career in modelling before she was incarcerated. Interestingly, we never leave the four walls of the prison – we’re trapped in with the inmates from beginning to end. Even as we’re shown Yoseli’s airport incident that brought her to Ezeiza, it’s depicted within the same peeling grey walls we’ve become familiar with. 

Where rusty performance from some may push viewers away, Martín Benchimol’s elegant cinematography tidies up these weaknesses, and we’re graced with many straight-on shots that use symmetry and framing to their advantage. In entirely one shot, a scene outside on concrete steps effectively tells Yoseli’s entire journey at the prison. You’re fooled for a brief moment when it looks like our crew might be enjoying a blissful beach trip – only for the camera to zoom out continuously at an extreme bird’s eye view, revealing the concrete surrounding their pile of sand. In such scenes we’re once again reminded of the “family”’s positivity being their biggest strength that helps them count down the days. For a cast of non-actors, they slip into their younger selves with ease, and the result for most is a believable performance. REAS doesn’t detail why the women are there, neither is that the point. The “family” was formed by people who, no matter their reason for being there, are all in the same boat, and like any good prison story, makes you empathise with those behind bars.

Shaky in some areas but excels at others, REAS contributes to a rarely done style of film, freshening up our watch history with a gratifying but entertaining watch about the true stories of people’s lives. The music is decent enough, albeit comes on a bit abruptly at times, and gives the film something to remember it by. It does well to make us fall in love with the cast by telling the story from their perspective only. By logic, we’re assured the inmates are all free now because of the film’s existence, leaving a sweet afterthought to a bold but charming production.

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Written by Maddie Armstrong

_{View of the Arts is an online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.}