Cronaca di un Amore

A township already on the brink of hysteria, after a number of children have fallen prey to a serial sex killer, almost lynches a travelling salesman (Alcázar), who was simply driving his car when a young boy ran in front of it. Despite a very arresting opening act, this gritty thriller soon goes dramatically off the rails. The problem doesn't so much lie with the muckraking TV journo protagonist (Leguizamo), who is at least partly characterised as exploitative and morally compromised, as with the fact that the killer's identity becomes evident all too soon, after which nothing else emerges of thematic or narrative interest. Finally, however much one would like to welcome a new talent from Ecuador, all one is left with here is the faintly sour taste of gratuitous sensationalism.