Rest In Peace – Netflix Review (3/5)

REST IN PEACE on Netflix is a new dramatic thriller from Argentina (org. title: Descansar en paz). It’s a different kind of life story, but one worth checking out. The runtime is 1 hour and 45 minutes. Read our full Rest In Peace movie review here!

REST IN PEACE is a new Netflix movie from Argentina (org. title: Descansar en paz). It’s a thriller and drama that could be described as a revenge story, but that may not actually be the case. It features some very cruel twists of fate.

In fact, it reminded me of Oldboy in a sense – though with an entirely different twist. Still, there’s the element of being haunted by your life choices in ways you could’ve never predicted. The runtime is 1 hour and 45 minutes, which may seem a bit long. However, the story also plays out over 15 years.

Continue reading our Rest In Peace movie review below. Find it on Netflix from March 27, 2024.

Snap decisions with dire consequences

Rest In Peace is essentially the story of a family man, Sergio Dayan (Joaquín Furriel) who does the unthinkable to get himself and his family out of debt. To be fair, this is quite an understatement as his family isn’t only threatened by the lack of money. Rather, there is an actual threat to their lives.

In a snap decision, he decides to take advantage of a brutal bombing, where many die and even more are injured. He is there when it happens, but he only gets superficial bruising. However, this is when he decides that it would be better if he disappeared and was presumed dead.

This would also mean his family could collect his life insurance. It may seem like a noble thing to do for Sergio, but his wife, daughter, and son will also be paying the price of living without him.

Could you stay away?

In Rest In Peace, the story begins in 1994. The car bomb attack that offers Sergio the perfect way to save his family (and himself) is based on a real-life event. And while Sergio turns his back on everything to save his family, the decision should also be seen in the 1990s setting. Right at the dawn of the Internet.

REST IN PEACE TRUE STORY ORIGIN

The tragedy featured in Rest In Peace was a car bomb attack that killed 85 and wounded around 200 people at the AMIA (Argentina Jewish Mutual Aid Association) headquarters. The main characters are also Jewish Argentinians making this a very valid and strong inclusion.

Sergio leaves Argentina immediately and goes to Paraguay, where he lives under a false identity. However, as the Internet evolves and everything from Google to Facebook surfaces, the temptation to look up his family becomes unbearable.

Can he handle what he discovers? And more importantly, can he stay away?

Watch Rest In Peace on Netflix now!

Rest in Peace was written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Martín Baintrub. I have not read the novel, but I can imagine it’s a brutal read if it progresses (and ends) like this feature film adaptation.

The all-important star of this Argentinian movie is Joaquín Furriel. The character of Sergio isn’t without faults, but he does act out of love. You will surely recognize Joaquín Furriel if you’ve watched a few movies from Argentina.

He has been in movies such as The Son (org. title: El hijo) and Netflix’s first original Argentine movie Intuition (org. title: La Corazonada) which is from 2020. I wasn’t really a fan of the latter.

The thriller drama premiered on December 7, 2023, at the 27th Malaga Festival. It’s also been out in some Argentine movie theaters from March 21 and now it’s finally reaching global audiences on Netflix. It’s fascinating, heartbreaking, and leaves you wondering how you would act (and react) in Sergio’s place.

Rest in Peace (org. title: Descansar en paz) is on Netflix from March 27, 2024.

Details

Director: Sebastián Borenztein
Writers: Marcos Osorio Vidal, Sebastián Borenztein
Stars: Joaquín Furriel, Griselda Siciliani, Gabriel Goity, Lali Gonzalez, Ernesto Rowe, Luciano Borges