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El Bonaerense. Dir. Pablo Trapero. Argentina, 2002. Dur.: 105 min.
Most viewers of Pablo Trapero's El bonaerense must be surprised when recently arrested Enrique Mendoza, or Zapa, finds an escape from his detachment and disillusionment in rural Argentina by becoming a police officer. However, the circumstance is not that ironic if one is familiar with the history of corruption within the Province of Buenos Aires Police Department, or La Bonaerense, which escalated amid the neoliberalization and democratization of Latin America. In particular, Argentina, historically one of the wealthiest Latin American countries, is notorious for graft and bribery among its law enforcement officers. But in addition to the theme of corruption, the private behavior in El bonaerense is representative of the sexist and patriarchal society that is Latin America, which coincides, or perhaps are the roots of corruptive public behavior.
One of the many expectations that accompanied the democratization of governments and neoliberalization of economies in Latin America during the latter half of the twentieth century was that public officiais and administrations would work more honorably and effectively. However, counter to rhetoric of the Liberal tradition, accusations of corruption have terminated popularly elected executive administrations in such countries as Brazil, for example, and ex-President Carlos Salinas, a strong supporter of neoliberal reforms, was forced to flee Mexico after allegations...