"El descanso" [ also known as "El hotel" ] (2002) From Argentina, a loose-limbed road movie and one of the happiest surprises of my recent viewing. Two pals, Oswald and Freddy, drive away from the stress and pace of Buenos Aires for a vacation in the hill country, and to meet a friend and celebrate Oswald's birthday. They never get where they're going, because in a drowsy moment in the heat of the sun, they drive off the road and wreck their car. While waiting for a local mechanic to get them rolling again, Freddy goes exploring and turns up a derelict hotel, long ago the pride of the region, now a ramshackle dump with no owner on record - and just like that he gets the idea to put the place on its feet again.
The comedy here is low-key and rises from character. The two buddies are a study in contrasting temperaments, like the pair of gamblers in "California Split." When Oswald asks, "Why are we working on our vacation?" Freddy replies, "If we have a hotel, we'll be on vacation for the rest of our lives!" Freddy likes to start things, and people, spinning, and let them follow their own course - whatever happens, it's bound to be interesting.
Most of the town, which is pretty much just a dusty crossroads, bustles into activity for Freddy's pipedream party. But there's a lawyer in the works too, who knows the secrets of the confused ownership of the hotel, and discounts all Freddy's charm and hope, knowing that in the eyes of the law he's just a squatter. So the film chronicles another chapter in the eternal war between those who live to enjoy the moment, and those who own it, or try to, or pretend to.
