The scenario: the town of Granadero Baigorria, fronting the Paraná River north of Rosario. The main (and unique) characters: Berta and Horacio, half-siblings with the same mother but different fathers.
Except for a few scenes in the town's cemetery, all the movie consists of a lengthy conversation between Berta and Horacio over two days in the family's home, where, after her mother's death, Berta has lived alone for years. Memories of past happenings surface, but the real subject is a latent incestuous relationship between Berta and Horacio that began when Berta was an adolescent and Horacio a child. The idea of incest terrified Horacio, but was (and is) accepted by Bertha.
Bertha and Horacio seem to make a living in unorthodox ways; one is stealing commemorative bronze plaques from the town's cemetery and selling them as scrap metal. This leads to another plot twist; a plaque that Berta defaces in a fit of fury in the cemetery hints at even darker family secrets.
Latin American directors have developed the minimalist slice-of-life movie to perfection, and Argentinian Claudio Perrin's film is an outstanding contribution to the genre. Claudia Schujman is excellent as Berta; Miguel Bosco playing Horacio is not at the same level but holds his own opposite Schujman. Theirs is not a movie conversation; it is rambling and unfocused, with a feeling of improvisation as in real life. Excellent cinematography and music. A movie to watch.
Except for a few scenes in the town's cemetery, all the movie consists of a lengthy conversation between Berta and Horacio over two days in the family's home, where, after her mother's death, Berta has lived alone for years. Memories of past happenings surface, but the real subject is a latent incestuous relationship between Berta and Horacio that began when Berta was an adolescent and Horacio a child. The idea of incest terrified Horacio, but was (and is) accepted by Bertha.
Bertha and Horacio seem to make a living in unorthodox ways; one is stealing commemorative bronze plaques from the town's cemetery and selling them as scrap metal. This leads to another plot twist; a plaque that Berta defaces in a fit of fury in the cemetery hints at even darker family secrets.
Latin American directors have developed the minimalist slice-of-life movie to perfection, and Argentinian Claudio Perrin's film is an outstanding contribution to the genre. Claudia Schujman is excellent as Berta; Miguel Bosco playing Horacio is not at the same level but holds his own opposite Schujman. Theirs is not a movie conversation; it is rambling and unfocused, with a feeling of improvisation as in real life. Excellent cinematography and music. A movie to watch.
