Malacayo

I left the cinema after seeing Argentina, 1985 shaking my head. Argentina seeks its third Oscar by resorting to the same formula over and over again: In 1976, a group of generals overthrew Argentina's government and began a campaign of terror against the population ( See La Historia Oficial and El secreto de sus ojos). The problem seems to be that much of the tension and drama depend on empathy with the character of Darín, a superficial and adrift character, but at the same time cold with the world. Dissatisfaction with life makes his anguish turn into ugliness. The expression "boring people are boring" comes to mind. Darin is not Alterio...

I don't want to go into plot details beyond what's described in the summary, in case you decide to watch the movie for yourself. However, tonight my wife discovered an earlier film from Germany, which shocked us. It's more nuanced, more three-dimensional, more mysterious. It's... just better.

I sincerely hope that Santiago Mitre had the intention to refer to the previous German work and create an interaction between them. It's an interesting idea. I'm a bit skeptical though, as there is no mention of the other anywhere in the credits, neither in the marketing nor in the writing about Argentina itself, Booring again in 1985.

11 minutes of pretentious boredom... A good experiment but vastly overpriced. 11 minutes when you want to move quickly in your life.

I sat down to watch this well-prepared short film, but the slowness and torpor of the camera movement won me the battle. If you suffer from insomnia, this is your short!