Las Acacias

If you ask me what type of movie would I like to see a lot more nowadays my answer absolutely is the type Las Acacias has. What a fantastic movie, one that makes you feel good, makes you wonder why cinema doesn’t have more stories told like this one and one that absolutely deserves all the honors that has been collecting since premiering at 2011 Cannes where won the prestigious Camera d’Or plus the Grand Rail d’Or, the ACID Award and the Young Critics award in the Semaine de la Critique section.

As you know I don’t like to know much about a movie and in this case I knew nothing, zip, nada. I strongly suggest that if possible that’s the best way to watch this marvelous movie that slowly, very slowly will grow in you, grab you, hold you tight with a big smile in your face and won’t release you –nor your smile- until is over.

Let me just share that Pablo Giorgelli’s film is what we could call a road movie but is of the unexpected kind –if you know nothing about story- that starts near the Paraguay/Argentina border and ends in Buenos Aires, Argentina; trip is done in a trailer and yes, there are handheld cameras that will allow you to feel inside the cabin the uneven roads the truck transits. It’s great.

Actually have to comment that last year Canes Critics’ Week had fabulous movies like this one and Take Shelter, which is NOT common as usually the strangest/weirdest movies are screened in this section; second all the honors that film have been collecting all over the world are extremely well deserved for a fantastic story, great production values, excellent performances and a filmmaker that masters the art of storytelling with images, little details and very little dialogue. While is not unique certainly is not common so-well done in Latin American cinema, thus chapeau Master Giorgelli!

All right is not for all audiences unless you prepare for a very slow storytelling, a long while where nothing seems to be happening, lots of silences where actors expressions –or lack of expressions- (including an impressive baby) tell everything that’s going on and an intrusive camera with many handheld takes.

Strongly recommend this movie to all that enjoy great world-class cinema and especially to those that enjoy Latin American cinema, even when story is not local, is really universal and filmmaker transcended most styles that predominate in the region. Oh yes, I enjoyed the movie well-beyond my expectations and well, when movie was over I was surprised beyond my imagination with the high quality of this complete cinematic experience.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

2011 Premio Sur Winners

Winners are in *BLUE.Not long ago the Argentinean Academy announced the nominees for this year Premio Sur and here they are.

Best Film
Aballay, el Hombre Sin Miedo (Aballay, the Man without Fear), Fernando Spiner
El Estudiante (The Student), Santiago Mitre
Juan y Eva (Juan and Eva), Paula De Luque
*Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Away), Sebastián Borensztein

Best First film
*El Estudiante (The Student), Santiago Mitre
El túnel de los huesos (Tunnel of Bones), Nacho Garassino
Fase 7 (Phase 7), Nicolás Goldbart
Vaquero (Cowboy), Juan Minujín

Best Director
Sebastián Borensztein for Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Away)
Santiago Mitre for El Estudiante (The Student)
Carlos Sorín for El Gato Desaparece (The Cat Vanishes)
*Fernando Spiner for Aballay, el Hombre Sin Miedo (Aballay, the Man without Fear)

Best Actress
*Moro Anghileri in Aballay, el Hombre Sin Miedo (Aballay, the Man without Fear)
Valeria Bertuccelli in Viudas (Widows), Marcos Carnevale
Graciela Borges in Viudas (Widows), Marcos Carnevale
Julieta Díaz in Juan y Eva (Juan and Eva)

Best Actor
Pablo Cedrón in Aballay, el Hombre Sin Miedo (Aballay, the Man without Fear)
*Ricardo Darín in Un Cuento Chino (Chinese Take-Away),
Rodrigo De La Serna in Revolución, el cruce de los Andes (aka San Martín: El cruce de Los Andes)
Estaban Lamothe in El Estudiante (The Student)
Osmar Nuñez in Juan Y Eva (Juan and Eva)

Not really curious about the Argentina submission to Oscar or many of this year nominations, but yes I looking forward to watch Ricardo Darin performance in Un Cuento Chino. To check nominees in all categories go here. Award ceremony will be in the middle of December.

La Mirada Invisible (The Invisible Eye)

Mesmerizing film by Diego Lerman that will immerse you into an Argentina 1982 voyage where on the streets of the Argentinean capital people are challenging the military dictatorship but in the very traditional upper class school, that used to be called “Ciencias Morales” (Moral Sciences), everything is perennial calm with days passing by as if nothing is happening. That’s the setting to this story that can be a little disturbing thanks to an excellent inexpressive performance by Julieta Zylberberg that with tiny movements tells more than with words.

Story is sort of metaphor to what happened in March 1982 at Buenos Aires and tells about innocent and naïve Maria Teresa (Zylberberg) a 20-years-old classroom assistant that one of her main duties is to keep intact strict school discipline under the supervision of Mr. Biasutto, the chief classroom assistant, who seems to like and protect her like a father does with a daughter or a teacher with a student, as young Marita –as her family calls her- is relatively new to this job. Mr. Biasutto purpose is to teach Marita how to arrive at what he called “the optimum surveillance point” where nothing is missed and everything is scanned without alarming students. She has to become the invisible eye. But young and lonely Marita notices a student doing something wrong and keeps quiet; he becomes her fixation and wishes to survey him everywhere including at the boys restroom. With Mr. Biasutto’s permission Marita is authorized to investigate students that are allegedly smoking at the boys restroom and what follows is Marita’s downfall which is quite “metaphorical” similar to what happened in Argentina in those days.

You have no idea how tension is very slowly built in this fantastic movie that has mostly superficial everyday school dialogue, many silences and many takes with camera following Marita walking the majestic school building corridors or crossing the patio, the last making breathtaking visual compositions. When story climax arrives you are sort of prepared but still is very disturbing.

I believe that even if you’re not familiar with Argentina history you will enjoy this thrilling drama for just the apparent intense story; but knowing the events will allow you to see the other movie layer. But you will easily get that repression doesn’t achieve the best of results –whether it’s military coup or a young women trying to break free.

Film was official selection at 2010 Cannes in the Quinzaine section and the 2010 San Sebastian festival in the Horizontes Latinos section; this after being the winner in the previous year of the Sundance/NHK International filmmaker and part of Cannes’ Atelier de la Cinefondation. Those are very good credentials that absolutely describe an excellent character driven drama and a great, yet young, filmmaker.

Film is must be seen for those that enjoy Latin America films and for those that like their films to be well-crafted with a look and feel that resembles good European cinema.

Enjoy!!!

Watch Trailer @MOC

El Ultimo Verano de la Boyita (The Last Summer of La Boyita)

The second film by Julia Solomonoff is quite good as a movie and especially because of a story that slowly will grab your attention, will make you wonder what’s going on, guessing if is like another Argentinean movie, XXY, or maybe is not; but most of all will take you back to a time that stood still in the Argentinean Pampas where German immigrants take care of farms that belong to city dwellers and working life absorbe them up to the point that education, caring and/or paying attention to your child becomes a lesser priority in the eyes of us, viewers, and in the eyes of those that visit them. Very interesting story that director and writer developed inspired on a true story she heard when she was about Jorgelina’s age.

Film tells about young Jorgelina that feels estranged from her not much older sister that’s becoming a “woman” because just started to menstruate, has become more interested in boys and doesn’t want to play with her anymore. So that summer her sister leaves to the beach with their mother and Jorgelina goes to the countryside farm with her father. Is a summer that young Jorgelina will never forget as her lifelong friend Mario, abandoned school to help this father -who is in charge of the farm- and is undergoing unexpected changes. You have no idea what happens and I’m not going to tell so you can follow the tension that in my opinion is really well built to keep you wondering what’s going on with Mario.

In a way is a simple story about typical ignorance that still predominates in the countryside of many Latin American countries, not only among workers but also among professionals that not explain better to parents about the urgency of whatever their children have. Anyway I felt tension for not knowing what was going on, but this is not a thriller as is the opposite where story is told very slowly, with nothing dramatic happening, very much alike to what used to be countryside life in the seventies and before. Very good performances by Guadalupe Alonso (Jorgelina), Nicolás Treise (Mario) and Treise’s real-life mother Mirella Pascual performing Mario’s mother make the story and film not only very believable but also quite interesting to watch.

Co-produced by Almodovar’s El Deseo company the film traveled mainstream and LGBT film festivals circuit collecting some honors like Special Jury Award at 2010 Sofia fest and was in competition for the Golden Alexander at 2009 Thessaloniki fest, as was selection in festivals like BFI London Lesbian & Gay fest, Frameline 34, Gaze Dublin LG fest, etc. Is a film that has some LGBT interest, but absolutely is not your regular movie in the genre.

I’ve been trying not to give away any spoilers as strongly recommend you watch film not knowing much about the story –like I did- as believe is the only way you will feel the tension I felt. I strongly recommend to not miss this movie that could surprise you with its freshness and simplicity while touching a very complex subject.

I liked this movie a lot more than I ever imagined and even when has great outdoors cinematography, story was what really grabbed my total attention.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

2010 Premio Sur Award Winners

Winners are in *GREEN.

Not long ago the Argentinean Academy announced the nominees for this year Premio Sur and here they are.

Best Film
Carancho, Pablo Trapero
Cuestión de principios, Rodrigo Grande
Dos Hermanos, Daniel Burman
*El Hombre de al Lado (The Man Next Door), Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat

Best First Film
Andrés no quiere dormir la siesta, Daniel Bustamante
Rompecabezas, Natalia Smirnoff
Sangre del Pacífico, Boy Olmi
*Sin Retorno, Miguel Cohan

Best Director
Anahí Berneri for Por tu Culpa
*Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat for El Hombre de al Lado
Pablo Trapero for Carancho

Best Actress
Graciela Borges in Dos Hermanos
Martina Gusmán in Carancho
*Erica Rivas in Por tu Culpa
Julieta Zylberberg in La Mirada Invisible

Best Actor
*Daniel Araoz in El Hombre de al Lado
Ricardo Darín in Carancho
Osmar Nuñez in La Mirada Invisible
Leonardo Sbaraglia in Sin Retorno

The only film I have seen is Carancho that got 11 nominations and surely it’s the favorite to win in most categories where was nominated; but will try to watch one or two more. To check nominees in other categories go here or here. Award ceremony will be on December 14.

Awards comments

Truly impressive that Carancho was shut down from these awards as got not even one of the 11 nominations it had.  To check winners in all categories please go here with the list and later on go to the Academy Official site that's here.

Carancho

I believe I watched this movie in one long sigh, probably with my mouth open all the time. I suppose is not an easy-to-watch film for many as so realistically shows what is truth in so many countries in the world. It was hard-to-watch for me because I know that I just have to go to other side of the city I’m currently living to watch live many of the things portrayed here even if insurance payouts does not really exist here as a flourishing industry. Maybe because of the last comment the film make me feel similar emotions as when I watched Cristi Puiu’s The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.

I was absolutely overcome by the story but this could not have been  possible if the movie was not almost flawless. Pablo Trapero’s movie is a very complete cinematic experience that successfully travels many film genres and with a film noir (strict term definition) style tells about the sleazy lawyer business that takes advantage of people misfortunes. Set in a Buenos Aires bleak suburb film slowly introduces characters, so slowly that you start to get anxious for the drama to explode and when it does you find no relief as tension only goes up. Very painful to watch but also very gratifying if you appreciate good world cinema. Yes this Trapero’s movie belongs to world cinema as absolutely goes far beyond the Latin American current cinema jungle.

As I said before, I’ll watch everything with Ricardo Darin, he’s such a multifaceted actor that since the first film I saw with him, a very long time ago, has blown my mind as he always so-well creates intense complex characters no matter the role he plays. Sleazy lawyer Sosa is no exception, as with sights, body language and facial expressions makes a non-likable character totally human in every sense of the word. Amazing. But here we also have Pablo Trapero’s real-life wife in another mesmerizing-to-watch role. My first experience with Martina Gusman was in Trapero’s Leonera (Lion’s Den), have seen some of her TV work but definitively is one actress that I’ll follow especially after watching how good she created Luján the complex young doctor that recently arrived to Buenos Aires from the provinces. Superb actors and great cast.

As a movie has a technical quality equal… no, above great world cinema. I know that many will inevitably make comparisons between this movie and the one that won the Oscar last year for Best foreign language film as both star Ricardo Darin, but not only Darin has two very different roles but also films are very different. Is precisely in the technical quality where both Darin’s stellar films have the most difference as Trapero’s film is superior to The Secret of Their Eyes. That’s how good tech specs are in this movie as absolutely are essential part of everything that happens in the narrative.

Definitively not an easy-to-watch movie but one that everyone that loves great world cinema should watch and as such I strongly recommend it; absolutely must be seen to those that chose to follow Ricardo Darin and Martina Gusman performances and most of all, to realize how Pablo Trapero is becoming a master filmmaker.

My fourth 2010 Cannes film and it’s official, I’m slowly changing my perception of the festival film quality from the so-so to the great! Hope the trend continues as I go on further exploring the films.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC