The Clan

The Clan

Year: 2016

Runtime: 110 min

Language: Spanish

Director: Pablo Trapero

BiographyDramaThrillerCrime

A seemingly ordinary family’s life unravels when the patriarch, Arquímedes Puccio, initiates a series of kidnappings. As his eldest son, Alejandro, becomes more involved in his father's criminal schemes, he discovers the disturbing reality of the man he idolized—a ruthless and calculating killer. Alejandro is forced to confront this truth, leading to a painful reckoning that jeopardizes the family’s future and exposes the dark secrets lurking beneath their ordinary existence.

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Timeline & Setting – The Clan (2016)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Clan (2016). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1980s (1982-1985)

The events take place during the early to mid-1980s in Argentina, a period following the Falklands War and during the country’s return to democracy in 1983. This era's social and political shifts provide a backdrop for the Puccio family's criminal enterprise. The narrative culminates with the 1985 police raid and arrests.

Location

Buenos Aires, Argentina, San Isidro

The story unfolds in the affluent suburbs of San Isidro and the broader city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It centers on a middle-class family living a comfortable life while orchestrating kidnappings in their own home. The setting highlights the tension between a respectable exterior and brutal criminal activity hidden behind a veneer of normalcy.

🗺️ Urban 🏙️ Affluent 🏡 Domestic life

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:42

Main Characters – The Clan (2016)

Meet the key characters of The Clan (2016), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Arquímedes Puccio

Patriarch and former intelligence worker who becomes the mastermind behind the kidnappings. He leverages his authority and social standing to direct the operation, showing a ruthless willingness to kill or threaten to preserve the family's lifestyle. His refusal to sacrifice himself or reveal the truth highlights a dangerous combination of pride and control.

🧠 Calculated 🤝 Controlling 💀 Ruthless

Alejandro Puccio

Eldest son and a popular rugby player who initially aids his father by identifying potential hostages. He experiences moral conflict after the first murder and grapples with loyalty to his family versus his conscience. His eventual resistance and attempt to seek a different path illustrate the pull between wealth, status, and ethics.

🧠 Strategic 🤝 Loyal 💔 Guilty

Daniel 'Maguila' Puccio

Middle son who had left Argentina years earlier and later returns to join the family’s criminal enterprise. He embodies a mix of ambition and pressure to prove himself within the clan, balancing proximity to danger with a desire for belonging.

⚔️ Ambitious 🧭 Conflicted 🧬 Family

Epifanía Puccio

Wife of Arquímedes and mother within the Puccio household. While not detailed as a direct participant, she forms part of the family context and the social expectations surrounding the clan. Her role underscores the domestic stability the family is trying to preserve amid turmoil.

🤝 Supportive 🕊️ Quiet observer

Silvia Puccio

Eldest daughter and a schoolteacher who represents the ordinary, educated segment of the family circle. She remains largely outside the criminal scheme, serving as a counterpoint to the more active criminal dynamics within the household.

👩‍🏫 Educated 🧭 Observant

Guillermo Puccio

Youngest son who is still in high school. He becomes aware of the family crimes, urges his brother to leave the path of crime, and ultimately decides not to return after a sports trip abroad, signaling a moral boundary and a fragile hope for escape.

🧭 Moral compass 💬 Cautious 🧬 Family

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:42

Major Themes – The Clan (2016)

Explore the central themes of The Clan (2016), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧬 Family Crime

The film centers on a seemingly ordinary middle-class family that slowly devolves into a kidnapping enterprise. A patriarch uses his authority to recruit and manipulate his children, turning familial bonds into a network for crime. The intergenerational tension reveals how loyalty can be weaponized in pursuit of wealth and status.

⚖️ Justice and Betrayal

As law enforcement closes in, the narrative probes the tension between legal consequences and personal loyalty. The family faces arrests, coerced confessions, and moral compromises that blur lines between victims and perpetrators. The film examines what justice means when a crime is perpetrated by a family unit.

🌆 Political Climate

Set against Argentina’s transition from dictatorship to democracy, the story suggests how political upheaval can create fertile ground for criminal ventures. The era's instability and shifting power dynamics influence the characters' choices and the public's response to the crimes.

🔒 Secrecy and Lies

Secrecy is central to the clan’s operations, from hidden basements to silk-smooth façades of respectability. The family hides brutal acts behind everyday routines, and the pressure to maintain cover drives pivotal decisions and escalating violence.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:42

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Explore Movie Threads

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Moral collapse in families like in The Clan

Stories where seemingly normal families conceal a dark and destructive core.If you were captivated by the moral unraveling of the Puccio family in The Clan, explore these movies about seemingly ordinary families hiding dark secrets. These similar crime dramas and psychological thrillers focus on betrayal, corrupted legacies, and the heavy emotional toll of discovering the truth.

unsettlinggrimclaustrophobictensetragicoppressivemoral conflict

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically follows a linear, character-driven path where a central protagonist, embedded within the family unit, uncovers a fundamental lie or crime at its heart. The story is built on the gradual erosion of trust, forcing the character into an agonizing moral conflict between blood loyalty and the truth, often culminating in their participation or rebellion against the family's corruption.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a dark, oppressive tone and a focus on the psychological destruction of familial bonds. They create a claustrophobic atmosphere where the home becomes a prison, and the central conflict is an internal war between love and morality, usually ending in tragedy.

Bleak true crime stories like The Clan

Gritty, unflinching dramatizations of real-life crimes that offer no easy answers.For viewers who appreciated the grim, fact-based approach of The Clan, this section features movies based on true stories of crime. These similar biographical dramas and thrillers are known for their steady pacing, high emotional weight, and bleak, unromanticized portrayal of real events and their tragic outcomes.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread often follow a chronological, steady-paced structure that mirrors the investigative or procedural nature of the real events. The narrative doesn't seek to provide catharsis or heroism but instead documents a grim chain of events, emphasizing the senselessness of the crime and the profound, often unresolved, trauma it leaves behind.

Why These Movies?

These films share a commitment to authenticity and a sobering tone. The connection comes from their shared basis in true events, their methodical pacing that builds dread, their high emotional intensity, and their consistently bleak outlook, refusing to sugar-coat the harsh realities of crime.

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The Clan Summary

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The Clan Summary

The Clan Timeline

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The Clan Timeline

The Clan Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Clan Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Clan

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