Whisky (2004)

Directors:

Juan Pablo Rebella
Pablo Stoll

Writers:

Gonzalo Delgado (writer)
Juan Pablo Rebella (writer)

Release Date:

3 September 2004 (Norway)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

When his long-lost brother resurfaces, Jacobo, desperate to prove his life has added up to something...

Plot Keywords:

Swimming Pool | Jewish | Tour | Synagogue | No Music

Awards:

20 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Andrés Pazos	...	Jacobo Koller
Mirella Pascual	...	Marta Acuña
Jorge Bolani	...	Herman Koller
Ana Katz	...	Graciela, the young wife
Daniel Hendler	...	Martín, the young husband
Verónica Perrotta	...	Jacobo's worker 1
Mariana Velazques	...	Jacobo's worker 2
Dumas Lerena	...	Isaac, Jacobo's client
Damián Barrera	...	Andrés, the receptionist
Alfonso Tort	...	Juan Carlos, the bellboy
Francisca Barreira	...	Young girl singer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Antonio Baldomir	...	Sanchez
Hugo Bardallo	...	Cajero casino
Adrián Biniez	...	Dardo
José Pedro Bujaruz	...	Don Ivan
Alejandro Castiglioni	...	Hinchas de el Tanque
Carlos Colacce	...	Pasajeros omnibus
Maria Belen De Leon	...	Patinadora
Gapo Delgado	...	Voz fotografo
Mariana Epstein	...	Vos esposa de Herman Köller
Gonzalo Eyherabide	...	Hinchas de el Tanque
Cecilia Fernandez	...	Pasajeros omnibus
Fernando Fernandez	...	Croupier
Marta Gadpen	...	Mujer en la peluqueria
Graciela Kabzanes	...	Senora en el bano
Ronald Melzer	...	Juez de Lima
Ignacio Mendy	...	Empleados cambio
Maria Eugenia Mieres	...	Empleada confiteria
Marcos Moron	...	Hinchas de el Tanque
Maiana Olazabal	...	Hijas de Herman Köller
Romina Peluffo	...	Chico de la Boutique
Fabricio Pereyra	...	Turista maquina de fotos
Fernando Pereyra	...	Diariero
Cecilia Plottier	...	Chica linda en el restaurant
Adelaida Rodriguez	...	Peluquera
Javier Santiago	...	Empleado estasia de servicio
Leonor Svarcas	...	Hijas de Herman Köller
Jorge Temponi	...	Empleados cambio
Jorge Todeschini	...	Hombre en la tribuna
Daoiz Vila	...	Pasajeros omnibus

Runtime:

99 min | Czech Republic:95 min (Karlovy Vary Film Festival) | Argentina:95 min | USA:94 min

Country:

Germany | Spain | Argentina | Uruguay

Language:

Spanish | Portuguese | Italian

Color:

Color (Cinecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Spain:13 | Australia:M | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Montevideo, Uruguay

Company:

Pandora Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Juan Pablo Rebella's last film.

Quotes:

[having breakfast]
Herman Koller: [to break silence] Marta... Is it spelled with "h"?
Marta Acuña: No, with no "h".
Herman Koller: Sure, otherwise it'd be "Martha".
[They briefly laugh]
Herman Koller: And your last name?
Marta Acuña: Acuña... with no "h".
Herman Koller: [giggles] Ok. "Martha Hacuña".

Huh! That's great. Say something else...

Following the more crowd-pleasing blockbusting antics of the likes of City of God and Amores Perros, it came as quite a surprise for this quieter, more restrained example of Latin cinema to perform so well on the 2004 international festival circuit.

The Uruguayan directors Pablo Stoll and Juan Pablo Rebella, following their previous effort 25 Watts (2001), once again centre their story in the small, provincial town of Montevideo. Jacobo Koller owns a modest sock factory that employs a few local women, including Marta. A year after his mother's death, his successful businessman brother Hermann visits from Brazil to attend the memorial. Jacobo requests that Marta pretends to be his wife while his brother stays. After the ceremony, the three take an impromptu trip to a small seaside resort.

While this premise may sound overly familiar from a million-and-one lightweight US sitcoms, the delivery is never short of fresh and intriguing. It rarely approaches the sort of twee sentimentality we might expect after reading a short synopsis. Almost nothing is said for the first half of the film as we observe the characters' drab, innocuous lives. And yet, despite this, the film somehow succeeds in upholding a surprisingly light and comic atmosphere. There are genuine moments of deadpan humour. The actors (schooled in the reticence of the national theatre) never force the comedy, in fact it is more often the camera that delivers the punchline; the constant repetition and rituals, the framing of the lanky Jacobo and squat Marta and a sudden romantic karaoke sequence that is all the more touching for its spontaneity.

Like the titular drink, Whisky is warm, satisfying and definitely suitable for repeat viewings.