Traslasierra Valley (tras la sierra = behind the mountain) is a region in Córdoba Province, Argentina whose tourist center is the town of Mina Clavero. The town and especially its environs, gentle, verdant rolling hills and cool mountain streams are the scenario for this movie. The plot is minimal. Martin, in his twenties, all around artist and world wanderer is visiting his father in Mina Clavero with his girlfriend Yuli, whom he met in Venezuela. Father is a puppeteer and ventriloquist, widowed long ago. Martin also retakes contact with Coqui, a friend from childhood and now a single mother; the encounter causes him to reevaluate the future of his relationship with Yuli. At the end, we see Martin and Juli walking away on a deserted road appraising each other with touches of humor and weighing the possibility of starting a family.
Most of the movie consists of conversations, and success depends on the excellence of the acting. Venezuelan actress Amenda Troconis plays Yulia with subtle, low key gestures and the charismatic Guadalupe Docampo sculpts her character with her usual excellence. Father is enacted by real life puppeteer Rufino Martínez, who plays himself with complete naturalness and charisma. The idea for this movie was born from a visit by director Pablo Sasiaín to Mina Clavero on occasion of a puppet show by Martínez (Sasiaín has a background in puppet theater).
I enjoyed this movie and boredom never set in. All in all the subject is perhaps too meager for a film of this length. One expects to learn something about the town or the characters; we do get some hints about Martín, his father and Coqui, but nothing about Yuli, that remains mysterious. However, the positives outweigh the negatives and make for a very watchable film.
Most of the movie consists of conversations, and success depends on the excellence of the acting. Venezuelan actress Amenda Troconis plays Yulia with subtle, low key gestures and the charismatic Guadalupe Docampo sculpts her character with her usual excellence. Father is enacted by real life puppeteer Rufino Martínez, who plays himself with complete naturalness and charisma. The idea for this movie was born from a visit by director Pablo Sasiaín to Mina Clavero on occasion of a puppet show by Martínez (Sasiaín has a background in puppet theater).
I enjoyed this movie and boredom never set in. All in all the subject is perhaps too meager for a film of this length. One expects to learn something about the town or the characters; we do get some hints about Martín, his father and Coqui, but nothing about Yuli, that remains mysterious. However, the positives outweigh the negatives and make for a very watchable film.