Las vidas posibles (2008)

Luciano is a geologist living in Buenos Aires with his wife Carla, a graphic designer. One day, he sets off on a work trip to the far south of Argentina, to Patagonia, where he often goes. When Carla tries to reach him by phone, the hotel where he has a reservation tells her that he has not arrived yet. He does not answer his mobile either; all Carla ever gets is his voicemail. But when she goes to the police, the graphic designer cannot give them anything specific—not even the name of the town her husband went to, which she cannot remember. The only information she has is that he flew to Patagonia, rented a car, and called her from a gas station about 300 km from his destination. After that, she hears nothing more from him, and she does not even know why he would leave her. Desperate, Carla eventually goes to Patagonia herself. She takes a rented car and follows the same route. Near the gas station where Luciano called her, she stops to see Police Commissioner Gutiérrez, who tells her that in this wilderness, where there is hardly anyone for miles around, it is practically impossible to find someone. Eight people who came from the city and have no experience in the area have already gone missing in the mountains over the past month. Still, he promises to look for her husband. Carla arrives at the hotel where her husband had reserved a room. Since it is still available, she checks in and decides to investigate on her own. As she sits in a café, a bearded man who looks like Luciano walks past the window. He then drives away with a young woman. Carla follows them in her car to a secluded house where the two live. The next day, she follows the man again, this time to the real estate agency where he works. It is strange, though, that he did not recognize her when he saw her. Carla pours her heart out to her sister Elena over the phone, and Elena decides to fly to Patagonia too. Meanwhile, Carla pretends to be interested in buying a house in the area and talks with the man at the agency. She learns that his name is Luis and that he has lived here for six years with his wife, Marcía, who works at a café. The receptionist tells her practically the same thing, and even the old phone books say nothing different. Carla secretly follows the couple and, over the next few days, goes with Luis to view houses she has selected. She also receives a message telling her to contact the police immediately. Elena arrives in town and goes to see Commissioner Gutiérrez herself to find out what is going on. Gutiérrez eventually calls Carla to say that they have found the rented car in a lake by the road, along with a mobile phone that matches Luciano’s. Carla decides to ignore the news, and at her meeting with Luis, they sleep together because she is convinced she loves him. The next day, Elena tells her that the police have also found a body that Carla must identify. The sisters go together to the morgue, but Carla refuses to accept reality and declares that it is not her husband. She spends another night with Luis, who then goes out onto the lake in a boat to fish, while Marcía stands on the dock. As Carla looks at her husband’s wrecked car, the full weight of events finally hits her, and she begins to cry.