''Collateral Man'', originally titled ''El garante'' (), is an Argentine television horror

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

originally transmitted in 1997 by Canal 9. Created and directed by

Sebastián Borensztein Sebastián Borensztein (born 22 April 1963) is an Argentine screenwriter and film director, best known for the films '' Chinese Take-Away'' (2011), '' Heroic Losers'' (2019) and the horror television miniseries '' El garante'' (1997). Early li ...

, it stars

Lito Cruz Lito Cruz (May 14, 1941 – December 19, 2017) was a prominent Argentine stage director and motion picture actor. Life and work Lito was born Oscar Alberto Cruz in the working-class La Plata suburb of Berisso in 1941, and began performing in lo ...

and

Leonardo Sbaraglia Leonardo Máximo Sbaraglia (; born 30 June 1970) is an Argentine actor, with extensive credits in both Argentina and Spain. He has also worked in Mexico, and was cast in his first English-language role in '' Red Lights''. Biography Sbaraglia was ...

Synopsis

The story is about the relationship established between Martin Mondragon, a young

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...

( Sbaraglia) and the man who seeks to collect a debt left by his grandfather a long time ago. The psychologist's grandfather had signed a pact with

the devil Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or 'e ...

, but died without delivering his

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

. As set out on the contract, Mondragon's grandfather agrees to offer his (then unborn) grandson's soul as the guarantor of the deal. José Sagasti (

), Satan's agent, presents himself to Mondragon as the one in charge of collecting the old debt and informing the guarantor of his fate. Being a psychologist, Mondragon thinks to have run into a psychopath and dismisses his threats. But soon after their first meeting, Sagasti starts playing

mind game Mind games (also power games or head games) are actions performed for reasons of psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor l ...

s and making Mondragon's life a living hell. Through its eight chapters, this mini-series recounts the struggle of Martin to avoid surrendering his soul to Sagasti, the envoy of the devil. Both characters give life to a confrontation that is waged on the earthly plane, and at the same time the

one-upmanship Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, individ ...

also plays on the psychologies of both men.

Cast

... Jose Sagasti *

... Martin Mondragon *

Eleonora Wexler Eleonora Wexler (born April 2, 1974, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an ACE Awarded Argentine actress, who started her career in Argentine version of the musical '' Annie'', aged nine. Theatre Films Television *''Mesa de noticias'' (1984) * ...

... Abril, Martin's girlfriend * David Masajnik ... Marcelo, a friend of Martin *

Luis Luque Luis Luque, born Luis Antonio Pedro Barattero (June 12, 1956), is an Argentine film and television actor. He has made over 40 appearances in film and television in Argentina since 1982, when he appeared in '' Aprender a vivir''. Many of his film ...

... Eduardo, Martin's psychiatrist friend * Luis Ziembrowski ... Gonzalez *

Franklin Caicedo Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historica ...

... Lozada * Jorge Marrale ... Satan

Awards

Martín Fierro Awards

Martin Fierro 1997: * TV Miniseries: ** ''The Guarantor'' - Nominated * Dramatic Actor Role: **

- Nominated **

- Winner * Author and/or Screenwriter: **

, Marcelo and Walter Slavich - Winner * Director: ** Sebastián Borensztein - Winner * Integral Production/Best Production: ** ''The Guarantor'' - Winner * Soundtrack/Original Soundtrack: ** ''The Guarantor'', by

Alejandro Lerner Alejandro Federico Lerner (born June 8, 1957) is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has written and sung countless songs including several hits, and his fame and recognition spread all over South America. Through his career, Lerner ...

- Nominated

FUNDTV Awards

* Fiction: ** ''The Guarantor'' - Winner

Emmy nomination

The show was also nominated for the

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

Legacy

''Collateral Man'' marked a turning point in television fiction in Argentina, as it was meant to recover the prestige of the horror genre; it was popular with the audiences, and in 1997 the miniseries won several

Martin Fierro Awards Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * Mart� ...

and was nominated for several international awards. Since then, it has been broadcast via on-air channels and cable several times, always being a success.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garante 1997 Argentine television series debuts 1990s Argentine television series