I screened El Premio at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. I came away from the cinema perplexed by the question "why was this film made?"
I get this is the director's personal story. Good thing a programmer introduced the film! Otherwise, one would never know it is set in Argentina, is about the dirty war of the 1980's, and it is about her parents personal sacrifices (NB you only learn this if you manage to persevere to the final credits!).
I also have huge technical problems with this film: - the long, granular camera scenes are overdone and ancillary to the plot; - the scene with Argentian military portrays them as akin to Colonel Klink! Scary? I don't see it!; - the prize was presumably about instilling loyalty to the military junta. This seemed to be contrived and unrealistic; - the sub-theme (persecution of Jews after escaping persecution in Europe receives only passing mention.
The Prize fails on all levels - as a film about a critical period in Argentinian history, as a Jewish film, as an exploration of the tumultuous relationship between a mother and her daughter.
I get this is the director's personal story. Good thing a programmer introduced the film! Otherwise, one would never know it is set in Argentina, is about the dirty war of the 1980's, and it is about her parents personal sacrifices (NB you only learn this if you manage to persevere to the final credits!).
I also have huge technical problems with this film: - the long, granular camera scenes are overdone and ancillary to the plot; - the scene with Argentian military portrays them as akin to Colonel Klink! Scary? I don't see it!; - the prize was presumably about instilling loyalty to the military junta. This seemed to be contrived and unrealistic; - the sub-theme (persecution of Jews after escaping persecution in Europe receives only passing mention.
The Prize fails on all levels - as a film about a critical period in Argentinian history, as a Jewish film, as an exploration of the tumultuous relationship between a mother and her daughter.