Argentina/France/Netherlands
Alejandro Agresti
'I think the film is very dangerous, shot like a documentary and
it seems therefore very spontaneous in terms of the acting and
the behaviour of the characters. This is the only way to shoot a
story like this. If you shoot the film in another way, then the
spontaneity is lost and you risk a sense of overt melodrama.'
Agresti's film concerns a film critic, Alfredo, who loses his job and his wife, Claudia. In an attempt to win Claudia back, Alfredo masquerades as her current boyfriend, delves into his past, and tries to dig up information with which he can destroy the new relationship.
'This is a story I've had in my mind for a couple of years,' says Agresti, 'but as the entire 90 minutes of the film are about the singular downfall of one man, I needed a special actor. When I met Norman Briski, a prolific actor working in Europe, I resurrected the idea. I was then able to set up the production which required 100% acting. I absolutely tailored the script around him.'
According to the director, the film is not a story but the depiction of a state of mind. 'This is what I call dangerous,' he maintains, 'there is very little physical substance around which to make the film. It is 90 minutes of constant deliberation over the same subject and this is the only tool which holds the attention of the public. This, to me, is very interesting.'
Agresti recognises the cliche of the filmmaker who employs microscopic method to magnify the human soul but still refuses to be deflected from a style of filmmaking which enables meticulous examination of his subject. 'Many times this method has failed,' he admits, 'and though I don't say that I have succeeded, with all the big films in Cannes, I am curious to see reaction to a small film with minimal locations and a remarkably intense central performance.' Nicholas Cunningham
Prod Co: Agresti Films
Prod: Alejandro Agresti, Pascual Condito
Dir/Scr: Alejandro Agresti
Ph: Mauricio Rubinstein
Art Dir: Guillermo Kohen
Ed: Alejandro Brodersohn
Cast: Norman Briski, Mirta Busnellim Carlos Roff, Laura Melillo
Running time: 91 min
Int Sales: Filmexport
