This is a great drama about life seen through the eyes of a little kid, in the 60's, in Argentina.
It is unfortunate if you are unable to watch it in Spanish as a lot of the 'porteno' slang gets lost in the translation. Nevertheless, one of those few great movies!
Very Good Human Drama
Valentin endures manipulation & paternal abuse and prevails. A sad, yet uplifting story. Great soundtrack. Too bad it's not commercially available. It would be worth buying. The deliberate pace will turn off some viewers, but it rewards those who take an interest in seeing how Valentin's plight will evolve. The film will appeal most to those who favor human drama films. Watch the interview with the writer/director in the Special Features before viewing the movie. It's short (about 12 minutes) but very informative. Overall 3+ stars.
Being a child again ;)
This is the story of a very particular 8-year-old, who lives in Argentina in the late 1960`s. The spectator will laugh and cry, as Valentín (played by Rodrigo Noya) shows him the world, from his own point of view, and with some interesting and candid remarks.
Which is his world?. Well, first his home, then his neighbourhood. This little boy lives with his grandmother (Carmen Maura) since his parents divorced, and is visited by his father (played by the director, Alejandro Agresti) only from time to time. Valentín would like to see his father more, and thinks his mother abandoned him because she just didn't love him enough. Despite that, he isn't a gloomy person, but rather a good boy who tries to make the best of what he has.
Valentín has many dreams, for example being an astronaut. He is so eager to be one in the future that he even practices how to hold his breath when he is having a bath, and how to walk with weights on his feet. However, his most cherished dream is to have a family again, and he will do all he can to "create" one. He will have an opportunity of doing exactly that when he meets the last of his father`s girlfriends, Leticia (Julieta Cardinali). I don't want to tell you more about the plot. Suffice it to say that simple things, seens from the eyes of Valentín, aren't so simple any more. They acquire a charm that even the more jaded will enjoy...
Regarding the language, take into account that the original language is Spanish, but that this movie contains quite a bit of Argentinian slang that isn't overly well translated in the subtitles. That doesn't get in the way of understanding what is happening in the movie, but it may interfere a little when it comes to nuances. So if you have an Argentinian friend ask him the "difficult" words, or search them in the Internet afterwards.
On the whole, I really liked this film even though I think the ending lacked something, I don't know exactly what. Maybe I just wanted more closure, or I needed to know more about what happened afterwards to the characters. All the same, I can highly recommend this movie to you. The acting was great, and the movie different. "Valentin" will make you remember again what being a child was like, even if that was a long time ago :)
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