The Heavy Hand of the Law

Gloria Soriano is a law student on the verge of graduating, preparing for a final oral exam with her teacher, Fiscal Dra. Rivas. Rivas poses three questions: the definition of justice, whether Gloria would defend someone she believes guilty, and whether she would defend someone with no money. Gloria passes these questions, and the moment of celebration is interrupted when she steps through a broken elevator door and falls into the void, leaving her crippled.

Years later, in 1983, in a rural town, two public cleaners, Gringo Gómez and Manfredo Doméstico, are clearing litter from a bridge, then head to the local bar where the lights go out, and the two leave to have sex. The next day, Néstor Fabián, Manfredo's brother, takes him to the local police to file a complaint against Gringo for the rape of a mentally disabled person, while revealing plans to sue Gringo to seize his house since both are homeless and living in an intermodal container. Néstor hits Manfredo, leaving him with a black eye. The police question Manfredo’s wound, Néstor claiming Gringo caused it. The officers take Manfredo to the crime scene to pose for photos of the alleged incident. Meanwhile, Betty, Gómez's wife, learns of the accusation, and Gómez is taken to the police station where he signs a confession despite being illiterate. The police photograph the five witnesses at the bar from the night of the crime.

Because Rivas is lobbying to become a judge amid Argentina’s transition to democracy, the case file is drafted by Rivas’ assistant and signed by her, then sent to Soriano’s desk and received by Secretary Santi. When [Gloria Soriano] reads the file, she finds no proof of Manfredo’s supposed mental disabilities or any evidence of a rape, and the plea is only two pages long. She asks the psychologist of the nearest town to re-examine Manfredo. The psychologist arrives and conducts a kinetic family drawing test, diagnosing him as mentally impaired, since the patient does not complete the test and cries about the situation. Soriano decides to visit Gómez and has him read the confession; he cannot read and does not even know why he is in jail. Later, Soriano goes to a clothes store and learns that Ferrera, the judge, is gay. In El Escondido, Betty speaks with the commissary about Gringo’s mortgage and the risk of losing the house if he cannot pay, since the mortgage effectively keeps the house in usurious terms. Soriano goes to the provincial courts to speak with Rivas, only to discover that she has lost her empathy for her job. Soriano returns to her desk and discusses her disappointment with Santi, and, motivated by Rivas’ determination, decides to go to El Escondido for a last attempt to defend Gómez. A silent tramp guides her to the chief deputy, who mentions Néstor’s criminal record and alcoholism and then takes her to the town. Soriano interrogates four witnesses and finds Betty, who now is in a relationship with the chief deputy, and reveals she married Gringo because his father had two horses and her father a plough.

In a meeting between Rivas and Ferrera, they discuss the news of the case and how she will dismiss Mudo as a witness because of his criminal record for stealing car parts and because he did not speak in his declaration. Ferrera hints at his support for Soriano, but Rivas reminds him that he only reached judge status through her contacts and pretending to be her girlfriend to placate homophobic officials; losing this minor case would hurt her chances. Santi then informs that Mudo will be dismissed and that she has lost the case. In a moment of fatigue, Soriano sees Manfredo in the distance and pretends to fall; he helps her and tells her that Gringo will serve twelve years in prison thanks to his lack of action, and gives her a business card. Santi visits Gringo in the prison unit, where Gringo explains he is being beaten by other inmates and that the guards keep the door open even in solitary confinement to allow the abuse. Santi replies that he cannot respond to the violence without facing more years in jail. Soriano, Ferrera, and Rivas hold a meeting where Soriano discusses Manfredo’s mechanical skills, Gringo’s house issue, and Betty’s adultery with the chief deputy, and criticizes Rivas for not firing the assistant. Back in El Escondido, Néstor attacks Manfredo with a slingshot and insults him with homophobic epithets.

Soriano returns to her office, exhausted, and questions the usefulness of the four witnesses. Santi explains he won the lottery by betting on 5-5-5, a reference to the number of witnesses in the El Escondido report, despite a missing page. The missing witness turns out to be the tramp she met on arrival in El Escondido. She goes to the town again and speaks with him; the tramp recalls that Manfredo laughed, a memory that is the only clue to resolution. Manfredo travels by bus to Buenos Aires, where he tells the tribunals that his brother was responsible for the injuries. Ferrera takes this as a sign of mental stability and declares Gómez innocent. Gómez returns to the town to find that he has been kicked out of his house and that Betty now lives with the chief deputy. Néstor Fabián dies electrocuted due to a water leak after being kicked out by Manfredo. Gringo and Manfredo reunite and share a hug. Santi congratulates Soriano, who decides to take a day off.

An epilogue reveals that Rivas was named national judge twenty days after Gómez’s absolution; Manfredo Doméstico continued working in Escondido and died of pneumonia in 2007; Gómez left Escondido and his whereabouts are unknown; Gloria Soriano worked for thirty years, became a teacher, and remained single.