Piñeyro's Money to Burn

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.

Piglia's Money to Burn

In Piglia's Money to Burn, despite the questionable translation by Amanda Hopkinson, is in one aspect, about a band of thieves committing a heist. But perhaps the real thieves, as Piglia represents with his epigraph, is the corrupt society in which they live. As a lens through which to read the novel, this Brecht epigraph brings into question the reliability of this money. Is Piglia trying to insinuate that because the money from the banks is tainted with corruption and capitalism, it should get stolen and ultimately burned? It seems to evoke the most basic theme: nothing material truly matters. We give certain things significance in our lives, like money, to prove our worth. Money to Burn demonstrates, however, that there are ultimately consequences for when one gets a bit carried away with said material possessions-- others, like this gang, who feel one doesn't deserve it begin to want it more and try to find ways to get it, usually illegally.

It is also note worthy to note the style in which the past 3 texts we have read are written and how that affects the work. The considerable amount of heteroglossia and polyphony in this book can reflect the theme of confusion and loyalty. From the narrator's descriptions, to tv reports and certain characters internal thoughts, the reader can easily become lost. But such is the life of these bandits: so lost in the effects of their society, they turn to a life of crime to ultimately get what they feel they deserve from the people who don't. The form also brings about the question of trust: whose accounts can we believe over others? It's as though Piglia wants us to think about the choices we make in our lives and how they relate to and affect other people other than ourselves.