Martín Rejtman's SILVIA PRIETO is considered as one of the landmark film of New Argentine Cinema. The film focuses on Silvia Prieto who discovers that she has a namesake. She develops a bizarre obsession with the "other" Silvia Prieto that involves unwinding the question of her own identity. The screenplay has been a pre-packaged film on text that simply needed actors to bring it to life. It gets it - and at the expense of the lightness and the transient nature of comedy, a handsome portrayal of human wisdom is emerging. The characters are extremely well drawn and there's no artifice to any of the performances. Everyone plays off each other with natural, spontaneous ease, and though some scenes go on far too long, the subtle dynamics between them keep one engaged. It ends on a sweetly satisfying note and is overall a classy effort acted with likeable style. Kind of reminded me a bit of an early Aki Kaurasmaki, Jacques Rivette, Jim Jarmusch, Eric Rohmer and Harry Kumel's The Arrival of Joachim Stiller (1976) - filled with some great dialogues that in some mysterious way stays interesting. A film which is a worthwhile rumination on matters of the heart. For the fans of Joe Swanberg, David Neves, Andrew Bujalski, Rikiya Imaizumi, Noah Baumabch, and Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit. Rest in Peace Rosario Bléfari.
Review of Silvia Prieto
