It is no secret that the detective genre gave us the art of cinema. A coherent internal logic, a topological connection, a montage of spaces and objects, a wholeness of device - that's how a good movie works. Also, a good detective novel. However, there is an opinion that the golden age of serials ruined the thriller: all plot moves have long been known, dramaturgical turns do not surprise, and the mystery of the killer is solved at his first appearance. It seems that the genre has outlived itself because of overdevelopment, from which there are no further moves - there is nowhere else to raise the degree.

Surprisingly, young directors disagree with the verdict given to thrillers. On the one hand, the ability to shoot in the detective film genre is a profitable skill for any auteur who wants to work with an audience. On the other hand, a thriller trains the filmmaker to work with the logic of the device, with specificity and coherence. And that's always a good thing. There is a third option: reflexion and re-setting of genre laws.

Apparently, the young director Florencia Abigail Cáceres has decided to take the broadest path - she is building up her directing skills by practicing her “montage” flair on detective material. The film IKIGAI seems to challenge or manifest, given the philosophy of the term itself, as expressed in the title and content of the movie. “The meaning of life” is a concept very concentrated, looped on itself - Florencia Abigail Cáceres' work is arranged according to the same principle. A single space, dramaturgical cyclicality and hermetic, closed. The detective becomes the murderer, the murderer becomes the detective. The author hits one point to get to the very roots, to the foundation, to the essence of what lies in the nature of the movie, of the genre and, perhaps, of ultimate evil.

Florencia Abigail Cáceres works extensively with storyboarding and spatial properties, but there is not always enough reason for the techniques implemented. The director leaves the structure of the movie open, but a thriller requires more authorial rigor, which usually comes with experience. I would also note that IKIGAI lacks the overall stylization that was promised by the first part of the film. It's intriguing that the author had the guts to work with kills rather than aesthetic tweaks. However, these are nuances that we may see refined in upcoming Florencia Abigail Cáceres films.

I will note that both actors are in an interesting relationship with the camera: the killer turns out to be grotesque, and the policeman is completely unnoticeable. The latter, for example, is not seen by the camera - it does not focus. This clash of two beginnings can be used to build a strong dramaturgy, which is obviously the author's goal. The beginning has been made, the only thing missing is courage and rigor. But this, I repeat, is a matter of experience.