Argentina 2012
Starts May 23, 2013
Directed by: Ana Piterbarg
Writing credits: Ana Piterbarg with Ana Cohan
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Soledad Villamil, Daniel Fanego
Length: 118 minutes
The hives are sick and the honey is weak. Both things that Pedro will not let go untouched. As he instructs his young girlfriend Claudia (Villamil) to squish the queen bee, he instructs her on the harsh realities of life. Simultaneously, in Buenos Aires, the doctor Agustin is suffering depression and alienates his longtime girlfriend who desperately wants to adopt a child. These two, Pedro and Agustin (Mortensen) are twins, who have been separated for a longtime; it is clear that their characters are as opposite as they can get. Pedro, who is deathly sick with cancer, appears at Agustin’s door. He asks his brother to help him die, not an easy request for the sensitive Agustin. In an irrational moment he kills his brother and then decides to step into his shoes. This step has dramatic consequences as the story unfolds in the Tiger Delta where they both grew up in as children.
Main actor Vigo Mortensen not only dives into the psyche of playing twin brothers with very different characters but also ventures back to his native tongue, Spanish, while shooting this film. This is Mortensen’s fourth film in Spanish and he indicated it gave him a sense of freedom to speak this language instead of English or Danish which has been used in all his other films. Director Ana Piterbarg wanted to explore the Delta which she remembered from her childhood as a place of freedom, but also wanted to explore the basic living standard of those who spend year round on these islands. This haunting film covers the bases with a traditional Hitchcock feel to it leaving you wondering how this thriller is going to end. Here is a great chance to practice your Spanish or German. ()