Situated on the Rio de la Plata estuary, the capital of Argentina - the country's financial, commercial and industrial centre - lends its name to Argentine director Alejandro Agresti's eighth film, Buenos Aires vice versa, which is showcased today in Un Certain Regard.
From Agresti's own original screenplay, Buenos Aires vice versa is the story of a boy and a girl, just out of adolescence, whose parents disappeared during the military dictatorship. As the story develops, they become involved with a crowd of people representing the multi-cultural diversity of a large metropolis like Buenos Aires, which has a history dating back to 1580. Buenos Aires is home to in excess of three million people, and was originally the metropolis of the vice royalty of the Rio de la Plata from 1776. It became the capital of Argentina when the republic was founded in 1880.
"The youngsters try to understand what happened to their parents, but the only answer the city has to offer comes as an allegory," explains Agresti. "Stories intertwine through encounters and non-encoutners, but they are all linked by the confusion, solitude and nostalgia of the city's inhabitants."
Born in 1961, Agresti started his career in the film business as a clapperboardman, working his way up through the ranks to become a cameraman. In 1986, his industry was rewarded when he was invited to lens his debut feature, El hombre que gano la razon (The Man Who Looked for Reason). Regularly linking up with Dutch Peter Greenaway-producer Kees Kassander, Agresti's credits include A Short Story about Nothing, Library Love/ Everyone Wants to Help Ernst, and most recently, The Act in Question. In addition to his film commitments, he has written three novels.
Jørn Rossing Jensen
Prod Co: Agresti Films
Dir/Scr: Alejandro Agresti
Ph: Ramiro Aisenson
Prod des: Vanesa Ragone, Guillermo Cohen, Constanza Novik
Mus: Paul van Brugge, Alejandro Agresti, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Pescado Rabioso
Ed: Alejandro Agresti, Alejandro Brodersohn
Cast: Vera Fogwill, Fernan Miras, Mirta Busnelli, Nicolas Pauls, Carlos Roffe
Running time: 122mins
International sales: Agresti Films
