La uruguaya

I found a wonderful movie about a great book. It is simple and yet complex. It keeps you intrigued until the end. It has wonderful performances and the photography is very good too. Highly recommended without a doubt.

Lucas Pereyra (Sebastián Arzeno) is a writer in his forties (his 50s are getting closer and closer) and with some success in sales, but in the midst of a creative crisis and apparently also a couple crisis, enhanced by a brand new fatherhood that he is not carrying in the most natural way. A first trip to a literary festival on a beach in Uruguay changes his perspective and energies when he falls in love with Guerra (Fiorella Bottaioli), an attractive and impulsive woman much younger than him (she is not even 30).

When he later travels to Montevideo to bring 15,000 dollars (the Argentines and their eternal strategies to bring in money while avoiding exchange controls and losses), he contacts the Uruguayan woman of the title. He does it in a big way (he rents the same room in the luxurious Radisson hotel from where Damon Albarn took a picture of the Palacio Salvo that would end up on the cover of the album Heavy Seas of Love and that years later would inspire the song The Tower of Montevideo), the reunion is drinking the most expensive imported whiskey in a bar, but as we are in the land of misadventures and entanglements, of a deformed romantic comedy with a lovable loser as the protagonist, nothing goes as planned.

It is not convenient to anticipate too much about the couple's vicissitudes because of the beautiful.

"La Uruguaya" takes us on a captivating journey through the picturesque landscapes of Argentina and Uruguay. The performances are mesmerizing, immersing the audience in a whirlwind of emotions and mysteries. The cast delivers exceptional interpretations, breathing life into characters that are easy to empathize with.

The cinematography of the film is a true work of art. Each scene is meticulously composed, capturing the natural beauty of the surroundings in both countries. The color palette and lighting enhance the ever-changing atmosphere, from sunny coastal vistas to shadowy urban streets. Cinematography serves not only as visual accompaniment but as a means to deepen the narrative and emotions.

The chosen locations in Argentina and Uruguay add authenticity and depth to the story. From charming coastal towns to mysterious alleys of Buenos Aires, each place becomes an essential component. Cultural and architectural details enrich the plot, constructing a world that blends the ordinary with the extraordinary.

"La Uruguaya" is a cinematic journey that immerses you in intense emotions through exceptional performances, captivating cinematography, and the magical South American locations. An experience that grips you from beginning to end, leaving a lasting imprint on your memory.

For me, the movie doesn't live up to the book. But, that's always hard to do-especially with a book like this. A lot of what makes the book great is the writing style. The prose is quick & easy to read. Much of the story is dialogue & internal thoughts. These things are hard to translate onto the screen. However, the director did a good job making a movie that looks slick & the actors brought the characters out pretty well. Without spoiling it, they also add some interesting (& meta) differences to the structure of the plot.

Because I rated the novel so highly, I was excited yet skeptical going into watching the movie. Although, of course, I would have loved for the movie to surprise me by being wonderful, it certainly could have disappointed much worse. It's worth a watch. I want to see more movies directed by Ana García Blaya.