Upon looking up this film in the cinematic waters that is imdb.com, the page for this movie has a link claiming it is among one of the "50 Best Gay Films" and that, it may very well be.
Ricardo Piglia's book, however, is not really able to boast that it is one of the best gay books ever written.
In the book, The Kid and Gaucho's [or Nene and Ángel, as they are known in the film] relationship is not really a prominent part of the novel but rather a fraction in the overall plot of the novel. The fact that The Kid and Gaucho were intimate on some level does not overshadow the real task at hand, the robbery. In the film, it seems as though in order to keep the relationship intact, Nene and Ángel are looking for this job to salvage whatever is left of their love affair. Nene begins in an affair with Giselle out of boredom and to in a way spite Ángel, even though Ángel has been hurting the whole movie trying to prove himself. The Kid turns to Giselle in the novel because he sees her as a type of refuge from the restlessness of having to wait around in Montevideo.
In the novel, there is more sense of history also, having the author give context of both criminal's life in prison, etc. As was discussed in class, the burning of the money seems to lose its symbolism against society in the film, becoming a symbol of rebellion--the two lovers against the world [Bonnie and Clyde? haha].
Yet, it wouldn't be right to say the film devalues the more political aspects of the novel; it is more an expansion of a smaller aspect of the novel's story. As Dudley Andrews states, "it is assumed that the task of adaptation is the reproduction in cinema of something essential about an original text" and while this may be assumed, it is not always true. What should also be taken into account is that everyone's artistic vision or take on things are not made the same; Piñeyro seems more inspired [rather than wanting to adapt] by the structure of Piglia's novel as the frame for a tortured love story.
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