Not having read the book, which is not available in English, I found the story very difficult to follow. OK, a young teenagers disappeared on a school trip to Patagonia and many years later, one of the girls, now a policewoman - the maverick cop of course - defies her superiors to reopen the case. That was about as far as I could follow the story. Some of it was telegraphed ahead so loud and clear that I was aware of it in advance, but other parts were totally obscure or not followed through.

What was the significance of the mermaid tattoos.?

Who was the bald mustachioed man with the mermaid tattoo and why did he save a couple of the girls he was supposed to kill? Why did he continue to pursue and kill anyone who tried to find out the whereabouts of Cornelia? Was Alina working for the bad guys, and if so, why was she killed?

Why were the police so adamant that Alina jumped from the window when the apartment was in a shambles, indicating that she fought for her life?.

What did Pipa's boss, Oreyana, have to do with the affair and why was he working for the bad guys? He did say that he found himself in too deep at the beginning that he couldn't get out. Why?

Who were the couple in the mountain lodge in Patagonia, why were they killed and who was the young man who was killed along with them?. I assume they were part of the trafficking ring, but it was not clear.

I actually watched this twice and more of the story fit into place, but I could have used a full synopsis. The film needs to be taken back and recut to heighten the tension and clarify the plot twists. A good half hour could be left on the cutting room floor.

Bottom line: The scenery was nice.

The prologue to this Argentinian film takes place fourteen years before the main action. A group of school girls are part of an organised trip to Patagonia; one of them, Cornelia, disappears after a night out. Officially she is presumed to have been killed and eaten by a puma after getting lost in the woods. Manuela "Pipa" Pelari, one of the girls grows up to become a police officer. She never really believed the official account and when somebody posts an anniversary obituary for Cornelia with a picture she believes must have been taken after she officially died, she determines to reopen the case; despite objections from her superiors. Her investigation will put her, and those close to her, in danger and uncover some shocking truths.

I thought this was a really solid mystery film. The prologue nicely served to set the mystery then we are quickly introduced to protagonist Pipa in a scene that makes it clear she is always a bit of a maverick. Once her investigation into Cornelia's disappearance gets underway there are plenty of twists and turns. I'll admit that not all of these are strictly necessary and the final big twist is unlikely to surprise many viewers; that didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the film. The cast did a solid job, especially Luisana Lopilato, in the role of Pipa. The settings were good; especially the snowy scenes in Patagonia. There aren't a huge amount of action scenes but there are a few good fight scenes, which have a good, not overly choreographed feel to them, and a shootout towards the end. Overall a pretty good film that I'd recommend to fans of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the film in Spanish with English subtitles.

I really don't understand why such bad comments about this tense, poignant movie speaking of women long time friendship and deception. I love this film. Period. But I respect other comments anyway.