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| Valentin
Classification: Foreign Film - Spanish/Misc Sa
Directed:
- Alejandro Agresti
Actors/Actresses:
- Alejandro Agresti
- Julieta Cardinali
- Rodrigo Noya
Sweet poignant story of little boy in Argentina in the 1960s
This recent import from Argentina is about an adorable little boy who is wise beyond his years. He's only eight years old, has cross eyes and he sees his 1960's world through rose-colored glasses. Loosely based on the writer/director, Alejendro Agresti's, own boyhood, the young boy's voice-overs are sugar sweet and yet poignant observations of the world around him.
Rodrigo Noya, only 7 years old when the film was made, is cast as Valentin, who lives with his grandmother who is ailing and mourning the loss of her husband. Valentin's father drops in once in a while but has forbidden the young boy to see his mother. It is not clear exactly why the father, who is a Fascist, is so bitter, and the fact that the mother is Jewish is only hinted at as one of the causes, but the young boy yearns for her constantly and his sadness about this never ceases.
But along with this sadness, the film is a comedy as it looks at the foibles of grownups. The young boy manages to persuade a doctor to make a house call to his grandmother, he befriends a local bachelor musician who has just been dumped by his girlfriend, and, in some of most humorous scenes of the film, he meets one of his father's many girlfriends, who he wants desperately to marry his father, but instead manages to turn her off from the relationship.
It all works out happy in the end though as the young boy plays matchmaker, discovers his mother is alive and everything seems to work out for the best.
The acting, especially by the young boy, is just amazing. The story moved along well and I really got the feeling of being in Argentina. But yet the film only hints at the horrors that were going on in Argentina at the time. And the story is just too sugary to be believable. I was feeling good after seeing this film. But I was also sorry it didn't go just a little bit deeper.
Do Not Miss This One!
What a wonderful movie! I recently saw it at the Xicanindie Film Festival in Denver, Colorado and was extremely impressed. The young boy who plays the main character will make you cry and laugh. Unlike movies that are made in this country, this film was full of normal looking people confronting the full gamut of everyday problems that we all face - love, death, divorce, abandonment, etc. It reminded me of Cinema Paradiso but with a Latino twist. Make sure you see this wonderful movie. You will be glad you did.
Valentin
I saw this movie in Spain last year, I thought it was great. I saw the poster for it, and the poster is not representative of the story line. Its NOT about a love story, its about a boy's struggles and dreams. The original title is "El Sueño de Valentin" "The Dream of Valentin". Like the other person said, its funny and it will make you want to cry all at the same time. Over all an excellent film.
Buy Valentin at Amazon.com
Buy posters at Allposters.com
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