Los miembros de la familia

A coming of age tale of two siblings who are mourning over the loss of their mother and become stranded on a coastal town that strangely seems desert of almost anyone outside of their own personal spheres. The surrealist vibe of their isolation is also teased (quite in a funny way) when they are presented with theories of computationalism, magnet therapy, and leftovers of religious self-help propaganda (from a priest who won't even pay his debts).

The depressing atmosphere of their unfortunate circumstances and boredom is brightened up by the several moments of subtle humour (which is also noticeable as a clever word-play in the movie title), and elevated by the great performances of the leads. Their companionship is so realistic it even reminded me of my own relation with my older sister.

Formally, the film seems deceptively minimalistic, with washed out colours on an apparently shy cinematography, but there is much beauty to be found in these gloomy scenes, especially the ones on the Argentinian seashore. There is a sparse usage of music, but always to a great effect.

There's not much I can complain about this film, and it's more than enough to put Mateo Bendesky on my radar from now on!