By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)
From Uruguay, this film by director Pablo Stoll, tells the story of a true modern, nuclear family. Dentist Rodolfo’s (Humberto De Vargas) most recent relationship has fallen apart and in his loneliness, he attempts to reconnect with his daughter Ana (Anaclara Ferreya Palfy) and his ex-wife Graciela (Sara Bessio). Ana has been going through her most rebellious stage of her teenage years. She skips school, chases boys and often misbehaves in class. Graciela, who spends her time working or caring for her terminally ill sister, longs for a social life, particularly of the romantic variety. She connects with a kind gentleman at the hospice where her sister stays.
Everyone in this family needs each other in some way. Rodolfo would prefer to go back to the way things were prior to his leaving, but things don’t exactly go to plan. That’s what makes this hilarious comedy so entertaining and dynamic. Writers Gonzalo Delgado and Pablo Stoll do some outstanding work with a script that plays out so very realistically. Stoll, as a director, is definitely going for realism. He perfectly captures much of life’s woes, joys, awkwardness and sometimes monotony. Sometimes in his attempt to recreate real life scenarios, the film does have its pacing issues and occasionally lacks cohesion. Nevertheless, the bare and raw realism mostly keeps the audience engaged and sometimes shocked. As audience member, I felt like a fly on the wall spying on a family in all of its various facets.