Argentina

1

Extraordinary Stories (Argentina) – Storytelling at it’s Finest!

Extraordinary Stories Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

This is storytelling at it’s finest. If you’re a fan of Borges or Pynchon’s mysteries you’ll love this film. Save this 4 hour wonder for a long journey or break it up into three viewings (with the 2 intervals). You can even try watching it here on YouTube.

Image result for extraordinary stories film

Why Watch Extraordinary Stories?
  • To see another great Argentinian film which is up there with Wild Tales and Secret in their Eyes (not the Hollywood remake)
  • Witness storytelling at it’s finest!
  • If you want 4 hours to go quickly (perfect for a long journey), otherwise this film is broken into three parts so easy to break into multiple viewings
  • Perfect for fans of Borges or Pynchon!
The Breakdown

Extraordinary Stories starts with the story of X, a man walking down a road. He is walking to a nearby town, not really sure if he will find a job there. Whilst he is walking down the road, he witnesses a shootout in a farm field next to the road. Have the perpetrators seen him watching?

This opening episode makes up episode 1. Next up is the story of Z, a man who has just started a new job in a remote town. The third story centres a bet between two rivals.

Without giving anything more away, each of the three stories get more and more interesting and extraordinary as the film progresses. Each one progresses in 5-15 minute episodes and you are often left wanting to see more at the end, like a good TV series.

The strangest part is that you never really find out much about the three main protagonists (X, Z, and H). You never learn their name or their background; each of them remains a mystery. They reminded me of characters from a Borges short story or a Pynchon novel.

Conclusion

You won’t find storytelling better than this. I was skeptical about this 4 hour movie, but I couldn’t stop watching it after I hit play. The director gives you enough to pique your interest in each short episode, always leaving you wanting to watch more.

2

Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes)

Wild Tales Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

I was sitting near an Argentinian when I first saw this film in the cinema. He was completely wrapped up in this brilliant set of sketches from Damian Szifron. He was laughing throughout, as well as cursing and cheering on the characters on screen. However, he wasn’t alone. I was also laughing, cursing, and cheering with the rest of the audience. You don’t have to be Argentinian to enjoy this one, you just have to have a little bit of a sense of humour (the darker your humour the better).

Why Watch Wild Tales?
  • To see Argentina through a series of short stories
  • You will be laughing, surprised, shocked, feeling guilty, and more.
  • To see some great camera angles (think of the car trunk shot in Pulp Fiction)
  • Produced by the Almodovar, highly rated on iMDB, and nominated for an Oscar, this film has some cred (if you don’t trust me).
The Breakdown

The first short film starts with a waist-down shot of a woman rolling a wheeled suitcase to an airport desk. To her surprise, the airline staff offer her a free flight for no extra miles. She boards the plane and starts chatting to a music critic next to her. After a while they realise that they have a mutual connection, Pasternak, the woman’s ex-boyfriend who was heavily critiqued for his music by the music critic. To which more and more people chime in saying they know him. Why are they all on the same flight? Coincidence?

One thing you can’t miss in this film is the camera framing. The film is shot from a bunch of different angles and positions that are both cool and a good fit. For example, the story set in the restaurant when the chef and waitress are arguing about the customer in the kitchen. The lighting is low and moody, the colours are strong but not warm, and there are two heavily lit pass through windows to the kitchen. As the waitress runs back to the kitchen to argue with the chef, we see a shot of them from the restaurant, one framed within each of the two pass through windows as if they are portraits. It sort of shows that they are both individuals and not in agreement, and that the chef is going to do what she wants regardless of what the waitress says.

Also, look out for other cool camera positions. One of my favourites was in the last sketch ‘Until Death Do Us Part.’ The director attaches a camera to the outside of kitchen door with the camera pointing back into the kitchen through a glass window. As a result, we can see the characters running to the door, pushing it open, and then see which direction they choose to go in the hall. The camera position allows us to see all the above without a single cut, making the shot feel more natural.

Conclusion

The sketches in Wild Tales look great, are acted well, are gripping, and are hilarious. What more could you want from a movie? Well, actually, in addition to the above, the film is a surprisingly good portrait of Argentine society. It depicts corruption, classism, and injustice in addition to all the vengeance and violence. This film is a winner!

 

 

3

The Magic Gloves – A Deadpan Look at Everyday Lives

The Magic Gloves

The Magic Gloves Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

If you’re a fan of deadpan humor, look no further. In The Magic Gloves, Martin Rejtman takes the mundane, everyday meetings and conversations that plague our lives and turns them into something to laugh at. There’s nothing special about any of the characters, they’re all regular people like us passing through life without much happening. They also don’t seem to be in control of what’s going on. Life just happens to them and they’re happy to follow where it leads them. When things do happen and their lives look like their going to turn into a success, their luck is quickly balanced out to humble them. But the film never feels heavy or depressing to watch as it makes fun of the trivialities and coincidences we give importance to in our lives. After all nothing really matters.

From: Argentina, South America
Watch: Trailer, JustWatch
Next: Whisky, Rapado, Barking Dogs Never Bite
4

Dog Lady (Argentina) – Life on the Fringe of Society

Dog Lady Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Firstly, let me clarify that I had no expectations of Dog Lady before I started watching it. But luckily the message it carries is a great one. The present only gives clues of the past. Just because we can see people in the present doesn’t mean we know their past.

Image result for dog lady film

Why Watch Dog Lady?
  • If you can watch dogs all day and never get bored
  • You’re interested to see how someone can make a film about a dog lady
  • You’re not sure what a dog lady is
  • To explore the meaning of life
The Breakdown

A middle aged woman is walking through a forest at dawn. It’s still pretty dark, but through the trees you can see a woman followed by a pack of 5 or 6 dogs. You only see her and the dogs through the branches as if we are spying on her. She takes out a slingshot and tries to hunt some food. This is our Dog Lady!

So what is a middle aged woman doing hunting for food in a forest in the early hours of the morning? Judging by her dirty clothes, encampment near the forest, and dog friends she must be homeless. But luckily the film doesn’t let us hold that prejudice.

We never learn about the past life of our nameless dog lady. Even though there are clues where she has come from (which you’ll see from her visit to the city) the director never gives us a past to give us a definite answer. Because of this, she remains anonymous and foreign to us, and someone who can be easily categorised. But as with all homeless people, there is always something you cannot see from simply looking at them.

Conclusion

Dog Lady never gives away enough about it’s protagonist for us to really understand who they are. Instead, the anonymity of our protagonist makes her a symbol of the homeless in Argentina and the world. We only see clues as to why she is living this way but never the full truth. Just because we see the present doesn’t mean we know the past.

5

Damiana Kryygi – History Cannot Be Changed But It Can Be Rectified

Damiana Kryygi Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

“We have to know our past to build a better future”

These are the wise words of one of the Ache people from Southern Paraguay when reflecting on the tumultuous past his people have faced. Damiana, a young girl kidnapped by settlers just over one hundred years ago is a symbol for the decline of the Ache people. Her return will fill a missing piece in Ache history – a piece that allows the Ache to build a better future.

Why Watch Damiana Kryygi?
  • Learn about the Ache tribe of Southern Paraguay
  • See that History can be made right!
  • If you want to see a documentary about the fall of indigenous tribes of South America under imperial rule (a good pairing for the fantastic Embrace of the Serpent)
  • See some of the extent of deforestation in South America
The Breakdown

Damiana Kryygi starts with two men on the outskirts of a jungle digging a hole in the earth. They take turns to jump into the hole over 2m deep and wide enough for them to fit in. They burrow deeper with a long stick and chuck out the red/brown dirt over their heads. These are two Ache people from Southern Paraguay. Their reasons for digging will become clear.

Damiana was a young Ache girl who was kidnapped during a settler raid on the Ache people at the turn of the 20th century. She was kidnapped and became a subject of study for the settlers. Her once human life was turned into the life of a captive animal. She died of Tuberculosis as a teenager and her ruins were never returned.

Over a century separates the death of Damiana and the present day Ache people. The period has seen huge changes to the landscape and Ache people. Now the landscape is barren, a desert of green grass has taken over from a wild forest. The Ache people have lost a huge part of their memory with the destruction of the forest. They have been forced from their lives as hunter gatherers. It all started with the dictatorship at the turn of the 20th century which abused and massacred the Ache population.

Image result for damiana kryygi
Conclusion

The horrific trials that young Damiana went through as a child won’t be things you’ll enjoy reliving. But the resilience of the Ache people is enough to fill anyone with respect. Watch to witness how one indigenous tribe in South America is piecing together it’s painful recent history.