One of my Top Picks of the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival was "A Week Alone (Una Semana Solos)," a sweet gem from Argentina.
What's fascinating about attending film festivals is how trends begin to emerge after seeing dozens of films. One recurring theme is the idea of kids being left to their own devices, either by choice or lack of adult supervision, and the inevitable ensuing spiral into mayhem.
Three of my favorite coming-of-age films of the past five years are the 2004 indie classic "Mean Creek," Alexis Dos Santos' "Glue" (also from Argentina), which was my #1 Top Pick from the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, and "Still Green," the Jon Artigo indie from 2007. "Mean Creek" took a group of kids and set them loose on a boating excursion with dire consequences. "Glue" was an unscripted film featuring three teens in the Argentinian countryside, in a touching story of self-discovery. "Still Green" was set on the Gulf Coast of Florida with a group of college-bound friends, with a dark turn that changes their lives forever.
"A Week Alone" combines elements of all the above, with a slightly bigger budget, a larger group of actors (with a wider age range), and a mostly scripted story (although it felt improvised), set in a posh gated suburban community. When the adults leave for a vacation, an assorted set of sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, nephews, cousins, and friends take over the house (and neighborhood) with, initially, good intentions.
With long takes and tracking shots, viewing the kids as observers with a deliberate, slow pace, "A Week Alone" pays homage to the films of Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark. The awkwardness of adolescence, the pangs of first love, and the playfulness of children without supervision are colorfully captured by writer/director Celina Murga.
