This was a disappointment. Ricardo Darin is still someone that I will continue to watch, and I will hopefully see more and more of his stuff as it becomes more readily available, but this was just a let down. It was his directing debut, and that could explain the many, many problems in storytelling, but he really shouldn't of gotten this job. I think he owes the gig to the large amount of star power I'm sure he has in Argentina, and the fact that the previous director died in pre-production. That said, this could of been a great opportunity to re-create Buenos Aires during the days of Eva Peron, but it does nothing of the sort.
The atmosphere is weak, especially the lighting. There is not as much as a single sweeping shot of the city, which has become cliche in pictures such as these, we do not see the city for what it should be. This could be due to budget, which I would assume was small considering the cast is so little, and the lighting looks like DV. Performances were also a let down, though Darin isn't too bad. I can't really critique the dialog very well because I'm not a native Spanish speaker, but the subtitles didn't suggest any brilliance.
Something good I would like to point out is Julieta Diaz, who I had the pleasure of viewing for the first time (but not the last, I am sure). While beautiful and clearly talented, she was badly miscast, and her body language (and her body, at that), was not very becoming of the typical femme fatale seen in films noir (the genre this film was obviously attempting to emulate), and I really didn't believe her actions at the end. I'd say miscasting was the biggest problem, though there were several. It would be interesting if any of you have seen this; perhaps Tati since it was filmed in his country? Anyway, I'd recommend it if you're curious, but if you're expecting something even decent, I'd say pass.
The atmosphere is weak, especially the lighting. There is not as much as a single sweeping shot of the city, which has become cliche in pictures such as these, we do not see the city for what it should be. This could be due to budget, which I would assume was small considering the cast is so little, and the lighting looks like DV. Performances were also a let down, though Darin isn't too bad. I can't really critique the dialog very well because I'm not a native Spanish speaker, but the subtitles didn't suggest any brilliance.
Something good I would like to point out is Julieta Diaz, who I had the pleasure of viewing for the first time (but not the last, I am sure). While beautiful and clearly talented, she was badly miscast, and her body language (and her body, at that), was not very becoming of the typical femme fatale seen in films noir (the genre this film was obviously attempting to emulate), and I really didn't believe her actions at the end. I'd say miscasting was the biggest problem, though there were several. It would be interesting if any of you have seen this; perhaps Tati since it was filmed in his country? Anyway, I'd recommend it if you're curious, but if you're expecting something even decent, I'd say pass.
