''El Puntero'' is a 2011 Argentine miniseries, produced by

Pol-Ka Pol-ka Producciones is a television and film production company in Buenos Aires, Argentina, commonly referred to as Pol-ka. The company was launched in 1994 and is owned by Adrián Suar, Fernando Blanco and Artear (Clarín Group). The first te ...

and starred by Julio Chávez and

Gabriela Toscano Gabriela Rosana Toscano (born October 25, 1965, in Montevideo, Uruguay) is an Uruguayan actress who works in Argentina. Biography Gabriela Toscano was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, on October 25, 1965. She moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, at an ...

. "Puntero" is a word from Argentine slang for a man who works as an intermediate between poor people and political parties, in a clientelist relation (that is, a political ''broker''). The miniseries received the

Golden Martín Fierro Award Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

Production

''El puntero'' is a

political drama A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written political dramas i ...

set in an Argentine ''

Villa miseria A ''villa miseria'' (), or just ''villa'', is the informal term for a type of shanty town slum found in Argentina, mostly around the largest urban settlements. Name The term is a noun phrase made up of the Spanish words ''villa'' (''village'', '' ...

''. It is produced by

for the TV channel

El Trece Channel 13 (known by its current brand name El Trece, stylized as eltrece) is an Argentine free-to-air television network and the flagship station of the network of the same name, located in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. It is owned by ...

. Although El Trece is part of the Grupo Clarín, which had several conflicts with the government of Cristina Kirchner, the lead actor Julio Chávez clarified that the tone of the miniseries is generic, and not a criticism of the Kirchner's administration. In fact, he conditioned his work in the program on the absence of specific political bias. Chávez did not even know about political clientelism, and investigated about the topic before accepting to work in the program. The opening of the program uses the song "Fuego" by

Bomba Estéreo Bomba Estéreo is a Colombian band founded in Bogotá in 2005 by Simón Mejía. Their music has been described as "electro tropical" or "psychedelic cumbia". History 2005–2008: Career beginning and ''Vol. 1'' The origins of the group go back t ...

, and mixes images of the

history of Argentina The history of Argentina can be divided into four main parts: the pre-Columbian time or early history (up to the sixteenth century), the colonial period (1536–1809), the period of nation-building (1810–1880), and the history of modern Argenti ...

with images of Chávez characterized as a political ''puntero''. For this purpose he grew his sideburns, used hair extensions, 1970s shirts and chains. The program did not have a fixed filming set, and filmed scenes at several real ''villa miserias''.

Plot

The miniseries is set in a ''Villa miseria'' in Greater Buenos Aires, ruled by mayor Iñíguez since 1987. Pablo Aldo Perotti, known as the "Gitano", works in the clientelist relation between the poor people and the political authorities. Perotti wants to be the new mayor, and to return with his former wife Clarita. At the end of the miniseries, Clarita becomes the new mayor, and Perotti ends up in a psychiatric institution

Reception

The program won the 2011

Martín Fierro Awards The Martín Fierro Awards ( es, Premios Martín Fierro) is the name of the most prominent awards for Argentine radio and television, granted by APTRA, the Association of Argentine Television and Radio Journalists. History The awards were first g ...

for best miniseries actor ( Julio Chávez) and best miniseries. They received as well the

Cast

* Julio Chávez as Pablo Aldo Gitano Perotti *

as Clarita *

Luis Luque Luis Luque, born Luis Antonio Pedro Barattero (June 12, 1956), is an Argentina, Argentine film and television actor. He has made over 40 appearances in film and television in Argentina since 1982, when he appeared in ''Aprender a vivir''. Many o ...

as Levan Levante Ufaloff *

Rodrigo de la Serna Lionel Rodrigo de la Serna (; born 18 April 1976) is an Argentine actor. He is known for playing Alberto Granado in the 2004 biopic '' The Motorcycle Diaries'' and Palermo in the Netflix series '' Money Heist''. His role in '' Money Heist'' as ...

as José María Lombardo * María Rosa Fugazot as Antonia * Carlos Moreno as Hugo Iñíguez * Belén Blanco as Libertad * Pablo Brichta as Leme Ufaloff * Joaquín Flamini as Francisquito * Fernando Locatelli as Loiro *

Bárbara Lombardo Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously a ...

as La Pochi * Claudio Rissi as Filpi * Ariel Staltari as Luis Calda *

Nahuel Pérez Biscayart Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (, ; born 6 March 1986) is an Argentine actor. A polyglot, he is best known for his role in the French film '' BPM (Beats per Minute)'' (2017), which earned him a César and a Lumières Award. Early life Pérez Biscaya ...

as Herminio

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Puntero Political drama television series Golden Martín Fierro Award winners Pol-ka telenovelas 2011 Argentine television series debuts 2011 Argentine television series endings Television shows set in Buenos Aires Spanish-language television shows 2010s Argentine drama television series