Paraguay Swings (Hamaca Paraguaya)
CANNES -- Short can be awfully long, as this 78-minute movie proves. Dragging along in a tedious rhythm of long takes and big talk, Hamaca Paraguaya is a cinematic bust. Thematically ambitious, it also is aesthetically primitive. It's hard to conceive of anyone paying money to see this pseudo-absurdist, amateurish production other than those compelled by familial obligations to the filmmakers. Reportedly, the last Paraguayan film to be shot in 35mm to have a theatrical release was made in the 1970s. That record should remain intact.
Indeed, the '70s might be a telling reference point for this film. Cinematically, Hamaca Paraguaya resembles a student film circa 1970, when young filmmakers studied the long takes of Antonioni and were flush with the absurdist dialogue of such playwrights as Beckett and Pirandello.
For those of you not up to date on Paraguayan history, it's been fraught with wars and outside oppression. Its landless peasants have been embattled and oppressed throughout. Yet overall, Paraguayan history per se is merely incidental because filmmaker Paz Encina has whacked out a story that seemingly could apply to most Third World nations. Unfortunately, his rendering does not do justice to the suffering and plight that the people of those countries have endured.
In this ambitious opus, an old farmer, Ramon Ramon Del Rio), and his elderly wife, Candida (Georgina Genes), sit in a jungle hammock and yammer to each other. Mostly, they lament their missing son, who has been off at war, but they also grouse about the barking dog that yelps and bleats offscreen as some sort of Canine Greek Chorus. For a while, the dog stops barking and they try to read in some sort of transcendent meaning to his stoppage. Such is the ideological and philosophical depth of this woofer. As one suspects, the dog is not really plugged in to the cosmos; he merely hasn't been given any water.
Cinematically, Hamaca Paraguaya consists of a half-dozen or so static long takes, most shot at 50 paces. Throughout, Papa Ramon is optimistic about his son's survival, Mama Candida is pessimistic. Hence unending utterances both hopeful and fatalistic and abundant enough to stock a whole garage full of throw-away Ingmar Bergman.
Only near the end of the film do we see the two players' faces with some clarity, and then only in sideshot. As such, it is hard to assess the performances because there is no clear-cut evidence that any acting was going on.
Encina further enervates the production with his unsure marshaling of the technical team: The pacing is leaden, the cinematography dim and the compositions parched. On the plus side, he managed to elicit a wide range of barks, bleats and howls out of the uncredited dog -- the film's most lingering aesthetic flourish.
HAMACA PARAGUAYA
ID Distribution
Credits:
Director-writer: Paz Encina
Producers: Marianne Slot, Lita Stantic, Ilse Hughan
Director of photography: Behnisch Willi
Composer: Oscar Cardozo Ocampo
Editor: Miguel Schverdfinger
Production designer: Carlo Spatuzza
Cast:
Ramon: Ramon del Rio
Candida: Georgina Genes
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 78 minutes...
Indeed, the '70s might be a telling reference point for this film. Cinematically, Hamaca Paraguaya resembles a student film circa 1970, when young filmmakers studied the long takes of Antonioni and were flush with the absurdist dialogue of such playwrights as Beckett and Pirandello.
For those of you not up to date on Paraguayan history, it's been fraught with wars and outside oppression. Its landless peasants have been embattled and oppressed throughout. Yet overall, Paraguayan history per se is merely incidental because filmmaker Paz Encina has whacked out a story that seemingly could apply to most Third World nations. Unfortunately, his rendering does not do justice to the suffering and plight that the people of those countries have endured.
In this ambitious opus, an old farmer, Ramon Ramon Del Rio), and his elderly wife, Candida (Georgina Genes), sit in a jungle hammock and yammer to each other. Mostly, they lament their missing son, who has been off at war, but they also grouse about the barking dog that yelps and bleats offscreen as some sort of Canine Greek Chorus. For a while, the dog stops barking and they try to read in some sort of transcendent meaning to his stoppage. Such is the ideological and philosophical depth of this woofer. As one suspects, the dog is not really plugged in to the cosmos; he merely hasn't been given any water.
Cinematically, Hamaca Paraguaya consists of a half-dozen or so static long takes, most shot at 50 paces. Throughout, Papa Ramon is optimistic about his son's survival, Mama Candida is pessimistic. Hence unending utterances both hopeful and fatalistic and abundant enough to stock a whole garage full of throw-away Ingmar Bergman.
Only near the end of the film do we see the two players' faces with some clarity, and then only in sideshot. As such, it is hard to assess the performances because there is no clear-cut evidence that any acting was going on.
Encina further enervates the production with his unsure marshaling of the technical team: The pacing is leaden, the cinematography dim and the compositions parched. On the plus side, he managed to elicit a wide range of barks, bleats and howls out of the uncredited dog -- the film's most lingering aesthetic flourish.
HAMACA PARAGUAYA
ID Distribution
Credits:
Director-writer: Paz Encina
Producers: Marianne Slot, Lita Stantic, Ilse Hughan
Director of photography: Behnisch Willi
Composer: Oscar Cardozo Ocampo
Editor: Miguel Schverdfinger
Production designer: Carlo Spatuzza
Cast:
Ramon: Ramon del Rio
Candida: Georgina Genes
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 78 minutes...
- 5/18/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.