Dripping with sleaze, the creeps and barely-veiled aggression: Benjamin Naishtat's ROJO

When every scene, moment, action (even the non-action) in a movie is loaded with negative possibilities that seem ready to (but never quite do) burst, the build-up can be extraordinary, even if the final result is sometimes a let-down.

In Benjamin Naishtat's new Argentine film ROJO -- actually a co-production of Argentina, Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland: It take a lot to get a movie produced these days -- the build-up in the very first scene alone is pretty staggering. There is, finally, at the end of this scene, real action, though it is kind that both surprises and then results in ever more weirdly threatening possibilities. It must also be said that the final result of Rojo, if not exactly staggering, is anything but a let-down.

Señor Naishstat, shown at right and born in 1986, has set his film in 1975, the year before the famous military coup that resulted in iron-fisted rule and some 30,000 Argentine citizens -- often young people who protested the military government -- being killed or "disappeared." The look of the film seems spot-on (though how would TrustMovies even know this, not having been in Argentina during this time), but more importantly, equally spot-on seems the increasingly creepy behavior of the citizens, beginning with our sort-of hero, family-man and lawyer, Claudio, played with a fine flair for undercurrent by ace Argentine actor Dario Grandinetti, below.

The opening scene takes place in a restaurant (below) between Claudio, a very strange and angry younger man, and the waiter. From there we move to various sections of Argentine society, culture, business and government -- including law, real estate, religion, art, education and the press -- and in each of these instances we witness the citizenry up to either no good, very little good, or perhaps in rare cases trying just a bit to circumvent the oncoming barrage.

That restaurant scene comes back to haunt our hero in strange ways but proves maybe the least of things, over all. People, when they are not acting outright sleazy (as in the case of the best friend, below, who involves Claudio in an "iffy" real estate deal), seem willing to remain silent, or very nearly. When they do speak out, as in the case of an inquiring reporter questioning a government official, you'll think you know what will happen. But even that can take longer, or work out differently, than you might have imagined

Who is complicit and how is called constantly into question. And nobody gets off the hook. It has been awhile since I've seen a movie that seemed quite as creepy and off-kilter as this one, while almost never arriving -- except at the end of that initial scene -- at anything remotely definitive.

And nothing is sacred -- not family, friendship, the workplace or the church. When a supposedly crack detective -- from Chile, yet! -- arrives on the scene (played by the excellent Alfredo Castro, below), the fact that he is/was a real detective, now plays one on television, and yet is still used for solving crimes, seems somehow ridiculously fitting.

I suspect it will help your enjoyment of the film if you know something of the history of Argentina (or something of South and Central American history in general). Either way, it should not take too much of a leap for American viewers to realize that the allowing -- or is it really perhaps the welcoming -- of a dictatorship can arrive all too easily and quickly. And, no, wearing a wig won't help.

From 1844 Entertainment and Distrib Films US, in Spanish with English subtitles, and running 109 minutes, Rojo opens this Friday, July 12, in New York City at Film at Lincoln Center and the Quad Cinema, and on Friday, July 19 in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Royal, followed by a rollout to other cities over the weeks to come.

A joyous, moving, surprising gift, Pablo Solarz's THE LAST SUIT enchants and delights

There's no way to know, I think, as THE LAST SUIT (El último traje) begins, and an old and infirm grandfather gets into a very funny and bizarre conversation with his favorite grand-daughter, just where in hell this movie could possibly be heading. Before long it turns into a road trip, peopled with a host of wonderful characters brought to life by a splendid cast. At heart, though, it is a family saga/memory piece, by the finale of which, you may find yourself, as did I, in a puddle of quiet tears that have been absolutely earned by every moment that has come before.

Made by Pablo Solarz (shown at left), the movie boasts a filmmaker who has had quite an interesting history so far --  from the lovely little surprise, Intimate Stories (which he wrote), to A Husband for My Wife, a script that has been made into a film three times already, in three different languages: Spanish, Italian and Korean.

With The Last Suit, which works beautifully in every one of its many aspects, and which Solarz both wrote and directed, I suspect that this relatively young filmmaker may have a hard time topping himself. If he does, TrustMovies dearly hopes he will still be around to see the result.

What makes this movie work so well is how filled it is with empathy and compassion. This is neither overdone nor all that apparent for awhile, however, because its main character, Abraham Bursztein, played by that crack Argentine actor Miguel Ángel Solá, above and below, who is so damned perfect in the role of the nasty-but-needy grandpa that, were this an American movie, he'd be an immediate shoo-in for an Oscar nomination (and probably the award itself).

If Solá alone were all the film had to offer, it might be enough, so thoroughly has the actor nailed the infirmities and obscenities of old age, rolling them into a performance that -- via its combination of wit, humor and glum reality -- keeps you at bay even as it forces you to enter and finally empathize with the life of this man.

Fortunately, Abraham either meets or is surrounded by character after character who may initially seem gruff and unpleasant (and who would not be when confronted by a guy like this?) but who, once some understanding of the man and his need kicks in, warms up and comes to his aid. This would include the young fellow (Martín Piroyansky, at left, above) unlucky enough to be seated next to Abraham on a plane,

and the hôtelière (Ángela Molina, above, left) from whom he tries to con a "reduced rate" on his hotel room. What a pleasure it is to see one of Spain's great actresses on view here -- and singing, too! Best of all maybe are two characters our not-quite-hero meets along the way who come to his aid in ways both expected and quite not.

The lovely Julia Beerhold plays a German woman of the post-WWII generation who tries with all her might to both heal and make up for the sins of the past. (See the wonderful documentary Germans & Jews for a further and deeper exploration of this.) How Ms Beerhold's character honors Abraham's wishes proves memorable indeed. His last helper, a hospital nurse played beautifully by Olga Boladz, above, is the final enabler in bringing to a close Abraham's journey.

Along that journey, memory plays a major role, and Solarz's ability to infuse his images (as above) with the same beauty and compassion he feels for all his characters is rather extraordinary. Is The Last Suit sentimental? You bet. But the sentiment here is so earned and welcome, and the tale told so filled with humor, surprise and deep feeling that the result is a road trip very much worth taking, while Mr. Solá's performance is an absolute don't-miss.

From Outsider Pictures , in Spanish with English subtitles, and running a near-perfect 86 minutes, the movie opens this Friday, March 23, here in the South Florida area. In Miami, look for it at the AMC Aventura and Tower Theater; in Palm Beach County at the Living Room Theaters, Boca Raton; the Movies of Delray and Movies of Lake Worth; and Cobb Theaters' Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens. Will thisw onderful movie play elsewhere around the country. God, I hope so. I'll try to find information on or a link to further screenings, as this becomes available.

MEET WRITER/DIRECTOR PABLO SOLARZ AT THE BELOW EVENTS 

Wed. March 21, 7:00pm
Latin America, Jews and Historical Memory: A Panel Discussion 
The panel will look at the Jewish communities south of Miami, the differences among generations there, and the relationship between historical memory and constructing the future.
Panelists (in addition to writer/director of THE LAST SUIT Pablo Solarz) include: Valeria Cababié- Schindler, Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University and a native of Argentina; Silvio Frydman of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, a photographer whose work has documented the March of the Living, and who was born and raised in Argentina; Miriam Klein Kassenoff, Director of Holocaust Teacher Institute, University of Miami, and Education Specialist, Miami-Dade County Public Schools;  Panel moderator is Jenni Person, Founder of the pioneering Jewish cultural organization Next@19th and Managing Producer of MDC Live Arts
 Location: MDC Live Arts Lab, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, on the ground floor of Miami Dade College Building 1, entrance at the NE 1st Avenue plaza. Parking is free in MDC Building 7 Parking Garage A at 500 NE 2nd Avenue, or for a fee in other adjacent parking garages and on the street
Thursday, March 22, 7:00pm Film Introduction and Post Screening Q&A  MDC’s Tower Theater, 1508 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33135
Friday, March 23, 7:30pm Film Introduction and Post Screening Q&A Where: Movies of Delray, 7421 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33446
Saturday, March 24, 12:30pm & 3:00pm shows Film Introduction and Post Screening Q&As  Movies of Delray, 7421 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33446
Saturday, March 24, Evening shows Film Introduction and Post Screening Q&As  Living Room Theaters on FAU Campus, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton, FL 33431

NOBODY'S WATCHING: In Julia Solomonoff's unusual immigrant saga, an actor prepares -- but for what?

Via NOBODY'S WATCHING (Nadie nos mira), the new Latin American co-production directed and co-written by Argentine filmmaker Julia Solomonoff, audiences are going to see one of the year's best performances so far by a male actor. This would be Guillermo Pfening, another Argentine who has already amassed some 67 credits at this point in his nearly 40-year life. Mr. Pfening, shown at right and below, fully and richly embodies his central character, Nico -- a relatively successful actor in his home country, who has come to New York City to both further his career and get away from his controlling lover, who happens to also be the director/producer of the successful television series in which Nico plays a role. (Nico's character has been put into a coma, while the actor decides what to do next.)

Señor Pfening (The German Doctor) gives the kind of performance that ought to win a bunch of awards for the depth, clarity and warts-and-all reality the actor brings to it. It won't, of course, because it's not "showy" enough or full of chances for over-the-top (melo)drama. Folk who appreciate a genuine, full-out performance, however, will be glad they went out of their way to catch this one.

For her part Ms Solomonoff (shown at left), along with her co-writer, Christina Lazaridi, brings an unhurried, loose and naturalistic style to the film, working the exposition into the situation, while bringing character to the forefront and thus avoiding the kind of melodrama that often accompanies some of the situations shown here. The filmmaker allows us to slowly but surely understand the kind of man our Nico is, along with the characteristics that alternately control him: pride, insecurity, kindness, love, desire, ambition and lots more. Via particularly well-chosen situations involving everything from employment to friendship, auditions to sexual encounters, baby-sitting to simple relaxation (in which the director and her star make us privy even to thought processes), a full-bodied character and the movie that surrounds him come to life.

To make ends meet, as he waits for the film to begin production for which he has been hired, Nico takes odd jobs -- from bus boy to taking care of a good friend's infant (above and below), the latter being a job for which he is not well-equipped but which, because he's a decent and caring guy, he manages to quickly learn.

The bond that forms between Nico and his little "charge," as well as between him and the Hispanic nannies he meets in the park, are just two of the many surprises and pleasures offered in Nobody's Watching.

The supporting cast is well-chosen and appealing (that's Elena Roger, above, as Nico's best friend in the big city), with each actor finding the truth of his/her character quickly and effectively. Nico's peculiar combination of ambition and self-reliance coupled to a nearly equal dose of self-destructiveness makes this character oddly appealing and very believable.

The movie's interesting "take" on its immigrant story also makes it timely yet unusual in its choice of the type of immigrant we see -- his "class," level of education and the like -- even as he, like so many others, sees America as a stepping stone to a better life. (At least our Nico has a country he can return to without the possibility of being tortured and/or killed because of that return.)

One of the movie's most interesting sections involves a reunion between Nico and his friend (played by Marco Antonio Caponi, above, left) who stars in that popular TV soap opera in which Nico also appeared. Both men want to impress each other, but Nico goes far beyond what's necessary. How his friend responds, once he discovers Nico's ruse, provides one of the film's more tender and appealing moments.

When we finally meet Nico's ex-lover, Martín (Rafael Ferro, above, left) and begin to understand the control coupled to sexual appeal the latter offers, more puzzle pieces fall into place. By its conclusion, the film has grown both broader and deeper than we expected going in, even as we feel that Nico may have finally -- if just barely -- turned the corner into "growing up."

From FiGa Films and Cinema Tropical, Nobody's Watching opens tomorrow, Friday, September 8, in New York City at Film Forum. Elsewhere? Nothing is scheduled just now, but if I learn of further openings, I will post them here. Or, if you're not in NYC, maybe wait for the eventual DVD/streaming options.

Note: Director Julia Solomonoff will appear 

in person at NYC's Film Forum 

at the 7pm show on both September 8 and 9.

The lure of politics, Argentine style: Santiago Mitre's EL ESTUDIANTE

A hands-on, hand-held look at today's politics, university-style in Argentina, EL ESTUDIANTE is one surprisingly engulfing movie, though it will please the most, I suspect, audiences who already have an interest in and appreciation for both political theory and the way that politics works -- or doesn't -- in the real world.

Written and directed by Buenos Aires-born Santiago Mitre (shown at left and up to now best known as a screenwriter who has collaborated often with Pablo Trapero), this multi-awarding-winning movie from 2011 tracks the budding career of a young university student, Roque, who quickly becomes part of a political group at his school, the better to make friends, fit in and get some quick and reliable sex going. As played by Esteban Lamothe, below, our non-hero is relatively inscrutable and prefers to keep it that way. Good-looking but nothing special, savvy but private regarding his real interests, he would seem to fit right in with politics as we know it: full of lies, betrayals, theft and the occasional help/favor, always with a price tag attached.

If El Estudiante is to be believed (I think it is), in Argentina student-politics are much more important than they are here in the USA and would seem to reflect (and maybe lead into) politics on a city, state and national level.

Spurred on by the daliance of his initial girlfriend (Valeria Correa, above, center) with another fellow, Roque does the same with one of his student teachers, Paula (Romina Paula, below, recently seen in the wonderful Viola), an activist with good connections to some higher-ups that prove quite helpful for our boy.

One of these is a certain Alberto Acevedo (played with quite the right combo of honesty and close-to-the-vest intentions by Ricardo Felix, below right), who is looked up to by just about all the students of his political persuasion.

Through it all, we sit in on classes, meetings and social gatherings, where the conversation always turns political and gossipy. And so, little by little, just as does Roque, we learn what's going on and watch our boy climb, then slip, up and down the ladder of university politics. Who's playing whom here? Everyone, it seems.

But that's all right because, as another character puts it to Roque after he's suffered quite a dip in reputation: "No one will remember it in three months." Sounds just like the good 'ol USA and Mark Sanford, no? I'm not sure I buy the film's final bit of finagling, because wouldn't the finagled person easily know what had happened and who had done it? Maybe that is actually the point, for the power position has suddenly moved again.

Another point that this dense but very entertaining movie seems to make is that power accrues to those who are best at gaining and using it, even as they are completely bereft of any loyalty to a group or a cause. Sound familiar? Señor Mitre has cast his movie well, with actors who look their parts, and directed it in a style that buries most of the exposition within his well-crammed dialog. We must listen carefully and still maybe not get all the local references. But we get enough. El Estudiante is a very smart political melodrama, university-level.

The movie -- from Cinema Tropical and Alpha Violet, and running 110 minutes -- opens this coming Thursday, April 22, at MoMA for a week-long run. Click here to see all playdates, venues and times.

Matías Piñeiro's VIOLA (yes, she from Twelfth Night) opens theatrically in NYC

What a delicious and novel experience is VIOLA, the new film from writer/
director Matías Piñeiro, and what a debt of gratitude we owe The Cinema Guild for taking a chance on this little delight by giving it a limited theatrical release. Only 61 minutes long, the movie merges its themes with its style (not to mention its probably minimal budget) so ingeniously that it becomes nearly sui generis.

The filmmaker (shown at right) is doing something with Shakepeare's Twelfth Night, but what, exactly? He's certainly not trying to give us the entire play nor even a good part of it. Instead we get a scene performed in front of an audience (take note: you'll see some of these characters again), and another scene rehearsed over and over, for reasons other than mere line memorization, so that the Bard's language (which sounds quite wonderful in Spanish) takes on its original meaning -- and then some.

This is a movie about performance (among other things) -- in theater, on one's job, between lovers. And as Twelfth Night is perhaps the Shakespeare play most about "performance," Piñeiro turns it into dual tales regarding young women's lessons in love. Foremost among these is Cecilia, played by the captivating Agustina Muñoz, shown above, below, on poster top, at bottom and in the penultimate photo.

Piñeiro gives us entry into the world of women in such a manner as to make these females seem so appealing, bright, and full of unique intelligence and life that at times we might imagine that we've never really seen this species until now. This is quite an accomplishment!

The movie begins with Sabrina (Elisa Carricajo, above, who is essaying the play's Olivia) breaking up a boyfriend via cell phone, and doing it so thoroughly and well that you marvel at her technique. We meet her friends and co-performers, and eavesdrop on their witty, thoughtful conversations.

Then, at the 24-minute mark, the story's lead character changes to that of Viola (María Villar, above, left, and below, right), whom we've glimpsed earlier, but probably didn't realize it, on her bike. She's a partner in a smart new delivery business, and as we observe her and learn more, the tale and its connections expand and then circle in on themselves.

By the finale, we've observed an exquisite little slice-of-life, young Argentine style. And we're thrilled, if in awe and a bit mystified, by these remarkable women. Is Shakespeare still relevant?
Don't even ask.

Viola opens this coming Friday, July 12, in Manhattan at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, along with a Retrospective of Señor Piñeiro’s films -- as part of the FSLC's Latinbeat 2013 series. See the complete schedule here.

Blood & honey: EVERYBODY HAS A PLAN offers a double-dose of Viggo Mortensen in Ana Piterbarg's Argentine film noir

 Film noir is generally set in a city, no? Most noir that I recall is what I'd refer to as "metro-noir," although I think there have been a few set in "suburbia." But what about noir that takes place a long way from civilization (think of this as "sticks noir")? Not so many. The new Argentine movie EVERYBODY HAS A PLAN (Todos tenemos un plan) is one such sticks noir (you might even call it a Styx noir, as in that mythical river), and although part of it does take place in an Argentine city, most of the film is set on an island inhabited by few people. Yet the movie, I maintain, is noir through and through.

Co-written (with Ana Cohan) and directed by Ana Piterbarg, shown at right, who has worked mainly in Latin American television, the movie stars Viggo Mortensen, an actor with some roots in Argentina and who appears to speak Spanish quite well. (He always acts well, too, and this movie proves no exception.) It's an odd story concerning, of all things, twins -- which gives a welcome double-dose of Mr. Mortensen. One twin inhabits that island (on the Tigre Delta) and is part-time beekeeper, part-time criminal; the other lives in the big city, where he has a practice as a popular pediatrician and lives with (or is maybe married to) an attractive and successful woman. But is either twin really happy? It appears not.

If we never learn the "source" of this unhappiness, fairly late in the film we do trace it to, of course, childhood. Given how generally clueless these twins, shown above and below, are to their most important needs and desires, we accept fairly easily this lack of self-knowledge (in them) and our own lack of understanding about what, exactly, went wrong in their lives.

Once the twosome gets together, below, their lives entwine in a most unusual manner. To go into further plot development will simply spoil that plot and the occasional surprise that Ms Piterbarg offers along the way. Suffice it to say that murder, most cold-blooded and foul, occurs, along with another that, by comparison, is nearly benign.

Betrayals of several kinds take place, love blooms, the country mouse visits the city and vice versa,  we meet a particularly evil man with an unholy regard for using Scripture to justify his shitty deeds, and those bees (whom we have been involved with since nearly scene one) get their new queen and start making some decent honey. (That last bit would qualify as the "happy" part of these proceedings.)

In the supporting cast are a number of excellent actors, led by Daniel Fanego (above, left) as that nasty, creepy killer; 

Soledad Villamil (above, right) as the city twin's significant other;

and Sofía Gala Castiglione (above, left) as the young woman who helps with the bee-keeping and grows fond of one of the twins.

Mr. Mortensen does a quiet, subtle job of twin differentiation and especially of engulfing us fully with a sense of sorrow and decay that presages what is to come. If there is little that is actually new here, Ms Piterbarg certainly know her deck, shuffles the cards well and then deals a hand that viewers will recognize slowly and sadly, even if the characters we're rooting for (or against) do not. Everyone has a plan, indeed, but those plans, unfortunately, are at loggerheads.

A sad movie about the waste of humanity, Everyone Has a Plan (from Fox International and running just under two hours) opens this Friday, March 22, in New York City at the Angelika Film Center and the AMC Empire 25. Elsewhere, too, I am guessing, but I can find no information on cities or theaters. But, as with most Fox International films, I would expect a DVD release eventually. So, if you're a noir nut, or you simply appreciate a good solid melodrama, add this one to your Netflix queue....