Film review: 'Ashes From Paradise'
A judge in Buenos Aires falls from the roof of the courthouse to his death and a beautiful young woman is stabbed 15 times, leaving a bloody corpse. The two events are connected, or maybe not, and a nervous female judge tries to navigate the treacherous path to truth and justice in "Ashes From Paradise".
Unspooled recently at the Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival, Argentina's Oscar submission is unlikely to garner a nomination and, despite an attractive cast and intriguing scenario, it's a hard sell to domestic foreign-film audiences. The latest from director Marcelo Pineyro ("Wild Horses") is a sexy programmer for fests, however, and select-site runs are a possibility.
Co-written by Pineyro and Aida Bortnik (a 1985 Oscar nominee, along with co-writer Luis Puenza, for the original screenplay of "The Official Story"), "Ashes" is a murder mystery with two victims and at least three suspects. The twist is that the three are brothers, and all claim to have wielded the knife that snuffed out rich girl Ana (Leticia Bredice).
You want coincidences? Pablo (Leonardo Sbaraglia), Nicolas Daniel Kuzniecka) and Alejandro (Nicolas Abeles) are the sons of Judge Makantasis (Hector Alterio), whose investigation of Ana's underworld father is most likely what got him killed. Did the brothers kill her for revenge?
With her career and possibly life on the line, Judge Teller (Cecilia Roth) tries to determine which, if any, of the brothers is telling the truth and how her dead colleague fits in with the puzzle. The stories of all involved unfold in long flashbacks with a novelistic structure.
Alas, there's so much ground to cover -- from Ana's lusty couplings with both Alejandro and Nicolas to the maneuverings and personal revelations of Judge Teller -- that the film drags on too long, until it swiftly reaches a resolution and most of the loose ends are tied up. In the process, one is entertained by the performances but not totally involved with the many major and minor characters.
ASHES FROM PARADISE
Patagoni Film Group, Artear Argentina,
Buena Vista International Film Prods.
Director: Marcelo Pineyro
Executive producers: Ricardo Wullicher,
Pablo Bossi
Screenwriters: Aida Bortnik, Marcelo Pineyro
Production designer: Jorge Ferrari
Director of photography: Alfredo Mayo
Music: Osvaldo Montes
Editing: Juan Carlos Macias
Color/stereo
Cast:
Judge Costa Makantasis: Hector Alterio
Judge Dr. Beatriz Teller: Cecilia Roth
Pablo: Leonardo Sbaraglia
Nicolas: Daniel Kuzniecka
Ana: Leticia Bredice
Alejandro: Nicolas Abeles
Running time -- 127 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Unspooled recently at the Nortel Palm Springs International Film Festival, Argentina's Oscar submission is unlikely to garner a nomination and, despite an attractive cast and intriguing scenario, it's a hard sell to domestic foreign-film audiences. The latest from director Marcelo Pineyro ("Wild Horses") is a sexy programmer for fests, however, and select-site runs are a possibility.
Co-written by Pineyro and Aida Bortnik (a 1985 Oscar nominee, along with co-writer Luis Puenza, for the original screenplay of "The Official Story"), "Ashes" is a murder mystery with two victims and at least three suspects. The twist is that the three are brothers, and all claim to have wielded the knife that snuffed out rich girl Ana (Leticia Bredice).
You want coincidences? Pablo (Leonardo Sbaraglia), Nicolas Daniel Kuzniecka) and Alejandro (Nicolas Abeles) are the sons of Judge Makantasis (Hector Alterio), whose investigation of Ana's underworld father is most likely what got him killed. Did the brothers kill her for revenge?
With her career and possibly life on the line, Judge Teller (Cecilia Roth) tries to determine which, if any, of the brothers is telling the truth and how her dead colleague fits in with the puzzle. The stories of all involved unfold in long flashbacks with a novelistic structure.
Alas, there's so much ground to cover -- from Ana's lusty couplings with both Alejandro and Nicolas to the maneuverings and personal revelations of Judge Teller -- that the film drags on too long, until it swiftly reaches a resolution and most of the loose ends are tied up. In the process, one is entertained by the performances but not totally involved with the many major and minor characters.
ASHES FROM PARADISE
Patagoni Film Group, Artear Argentina,
Buena Vista International Film Prods.
Director: Marcelo Pineyro
Executive producers: Ricardo Wullicher,
Pablo Bossi
Screenwriters: Aida Bortnik, Marcelo Pineyro
Production designer: Jorge Ferrari
Director of photography: Alfredo Mayo
Music: Osvaldo Montes
Editing: Juan Carlos Macias
Color/stereo
Cast:
Judge Costa Makantasis: Hector Alterio
Judge Dr. Beatriz Teller: Cecilia Roth
Pablo: Leonardo Sbaraglia
Nicolas: Daniel Kuzniecka
Ana: Leticia Bredice
Alejandro: Nicolas Abeles
Running time -- 127 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/5/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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