Film Review: IL CILENO: An Explosive True Story Led by a Mesmerizing Lead Performance [Locarno 2026]

Il cileno Review

Il cileno / The Chilean (2026) Film Review from the 79th Annual Locarno Film Festival, a movie directed by Sergio Castro San Martín, written by Simona Nobile and Sergio Castro San Martín and starring Camilo Arancibia, Sara Serraiocco, Lorenzo Richelmy, Sara Becker, Gaetano Bruno, Andrew Bargsted and Riccardo Lombardo.

Camilo Arancibia carries a lot of the weight of the new movie, Il cileno, on his shoulders. An explosive and thought-provoking movie, Il cileno makes sure that its main character, a revolutionary played by Arancibia, Aldo Marin, is put through the wringer and back in one of the more interesting international action movies of the year. The Chilean character, Aldo, never becomes overwrought, but is faced with difficult decisions over the course of this picture in which his family’s lives are put in jeopardy thus driving Aldo into motion as a character who may stand a fighting chance of getting revenge if he can just stay alive.

With much of the story concerning Italy, filmmaker Sergio Castro San Martin has crafted a violent at times, but completely engrossing tale of a man trying to obtain justice at any cost after his separation from his wife and child. As he goes on to create bombs, he soon becomes tied to a female leader/doctor named Luciana (Sara Serraiocco) who has some strong viewpoints that manifest themselves in her life choices throughout the film such as performing abortions for those who seek them.

Il cileno is based on true events. It is commandeered by Arancibia’s performance as a man pushed past the breaking point. From shining shoes to creating bombs, this is a man on the edge who has to do everything in his power to try to obtain some sort of justice in his personal world. The backdrop of the 1970’s makes the picture feel like something that could have come out of Hollywood, but luckily Il cileno never feels like its scenes have to be steered towards typical conventional directions.

Instead, we see how our lead character must use his wits to survive and adapt to the vicious world he has found himself accustomed to. Sara Serraiocco is a quite memorable actress whose character leaps off the screen with intense determination under circumstances which are quite multi-faceted in nature.

Another notable performance is that of Andrew Bargsted as the friend of Aldo who plays a central role in certain pivotal scenes within the picture. As a man doing things with unspeakable consequences in order to be there for his family, Arancibia never lets the movie’s themes get in the way of him creating a complex character who is impossible to pigeonhole into a distinctive stereotype.

Particularly impressive is the movie’s use of complex scenarios to see which way Aldo will turn next. This movie is quite unpredictable in nature even when one may have a sneaky suspicion that it’s going to get ugly at one particular key interval about an hour of the way into the picture.

Furthermore, this new picture never oversimplifies its complicated political background. Instead, its matter of fact style presents the material to the viewer in a way that will make it intriguing with or without taking any sides. Il cileno takes big risks and is all the braver a film for doing just that. By sidestepping a conventional structure, there’s much more at stake for the characters and the viewer will be drawn into the remarkable way the film is crafted.

Aside from its many positive attributes, the movie occasionally takes some short cuts to arrive at its destination. The movie is quite strong in its midsection, becoming more absorbing during that portion of the film  than it is in the beginning or the end. That being said, Serraiocco remains a focal point of the movie and it’s impossible to ignore her character thanks to the performance by the actress who definitely can be respected at given times within the movie and the actress adds a lot to the role that isn’t simply written in the dialogue. Her mannerisms are extraordinarily appropriate for the character she plays.

By not sugarcoating the political viewpoints the characterizations hint at, it is easy to walk away from this film with respect for what it is trying to accomplish from a dramatic standpoint. Il cileno is a wrenching tale of sorrow, retribution and the horrifying things that happen as political turmoil runs rampant and clashes with the human spirit. With formidable performances by the leads and stellar sequences that are created very realistically, the movie stands out and is recommended viewing.

Rating: 7/10

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