Argentine film makers like their Spaniard counterparts, love to tell their viewers stories that deal with the atrocities committed by the military dictatorship or the "dirty war" in the first instance, or the Spanish civil war, in the second case. We had no idea what to expect when we caught "Cordero de dios" on a cable channel recently. The key for understanding the film is the time element. The present takes place in 2002, a year of economic crisis for Argentina, and the past goes back to the dark days of 1978.
The story begins by the kidnapping of Arturo, the family patriarch by a group of bandits during 2002. Guillermina, his granddaughter is the one that receives the call demanding ransom money for his release. At the same time, the viewer is taken back to the time when Guillermina was a little girl. It is obvious the bond between the older man, a veterinarian, and the adorable child.
When Guillermina's mother, Teresa, arrives from Paris, unresolved issues come to haunt her. Her relationship with her father was not the best, especially when there seems to have been no love lost between them. Teresa and her husband Paco were fighting to correct the problems in their country, something that left many dead, or had to go into exile. Now Teresa's past comes back to her in ways she didn't expect.
Director Lucia Cedron, who also collaborated in the screenplay with Santiago Giralt and Thomas Philippon Aginski, tells the story in a way that can be disorienting for most non-Argentine viewers. It takes a while until we realize how the two narratives are intertwined. Most people outside Argentina will probably be confused because even when 24 years have gone by, there is no indication as to what is present, and what is in the past. There are other films that have dealt with the subject much better, but to her credit, Ms. Cedron keeps our attention all the time.
Mercedes Moran, who plays the 2002 Teresa, doesn't quite convince us she is that revolutionary woman with her high ideals of twenty-four years before. For all we know, she has succumbed to fashion in her new surroundings. Her take on the part does not feel right. Same can be said for the modern Guillermina of Leonora Balcarce. On the other hand, we enjoyed Malena Solda, who plays the young Teresa, the idealistic young woman who threw everything away for a cause. Juan Minujin, who was so wonderful in "Epitafios 2", has nothing to do in this film. The great Jorge Morrale has some good moments, although he remains an enigma at the end because it is not made clear as to what was his involvement in the story in 1978.
The cinematography of Guillermo Nieto works nicely in the film and the music by Sebastian Escofett enhances the story. There is no doubt that Ms. Cedron is able to go to bigger things as she shows a talent for capturing two eras in the history of her country.
The story begins by the kidnapping of Arturo, the family patriarch by a group of bandits during 2002. Guillermina, his granddaughter is the one that receives the call demanding ransom money for his release. At the same time, the viewer is taken back to the time when Guillermina was a little girl. It is obvious the bond between the older man, a veterinarian, and the adorable child.
When Guillermina's mother, Teresa, arrives from Paris, unresolved issues come to haunt her. Her relationship with her father was not the best, especially when there seems to have been no love lost between them. Teresa and her husband Paco were fighting to correct the problems in their country, something that left many dead, or had to go into exile. Now Teresa's past comes back to her in ways she didn't expect.
Director Lucia Cedron, who also collaborated in the screenplay with Santiago Giralt and Thomas Philippon Aginski, tells the story in a way that can be disorienting for most non-Argentine viewers. It takes a while until we realize how the two narratives are intertwined. Most people outside Argentina will probably be confused because even when 24 years have gone by, there is no indication as to what is present, and what is in the past. There are other films that have dealt with the subject much better, but to her credit, Ms. Cedron keeps our attention all the time.
Mercedes Moran, who plays the 2002 Teresa, doesn't quite convince us she is that revolutionary woman with her high ideals of twenty-four years before. For all we know, she has succumbed to fashion in her new surroundings. Her take on the part does not feel right. Same can be said for the modern Guillermina of Leonora Balcarce. On the other hand, we enjoyed Malena Solda, who plays the young Teresa, the idealistic young woman who threw everything away for a cause. Juan Minujin, who was so wonderful in "Epitafios 2", has nothing to do in this film. The great Jorge Morrale has some good moments, although he remains an enigma at the end because it is not made clear as to what was his involvement in the story in 1978.
The cinematography of Guillermo Nieto works nicely in the film and the music by Sebastian Escofett enhances the story. There is no doubt that Ms. Cedron is able to go to bigger things as she shows a talent for capturing two eras in the history of her country.