2015 Argentina

SUNDAY 30 April 10.00 am
TUESDAY 2 May 8.15 pm
RUNNING TIME 108 minutes

SYNOPSIS

Julián (Ricardo Darin) is surprised by a visit from his old and close friend Tomás (Javier Cámara), who lives in Canada. The two men, accompanied by Julián’s faithful dog, Truman (Troilo), share emotional and surprising moments prompted by Julián’s complicated situation.

REVIEW BY ANDREW L. URBAN

A wonderfully elegant and restrained score, sparingly used, provides the perfect mood for this subtle yet powerful story about male friendship, and man’s best friend. Cesc Gay has written about that complicated area of relationships, the one in which a man has to navigate his inner weaknesses to make a genuine friendship with another man. That’s just how it is. There are many dangers in such a project, but Gay overcomes them with intelligence, sensitivity and no loss of masculinity. He also overcomes the challenge of telling a sad story without making us sad.

His first great decision after finishing the screenplay was to cast two of the best actors working in the Spanish language: Ricardo Darin as Julián, diagnosed with terminal cancer, and his old friend Tomás, who has moved with his wife to Canada.

The film isn’t about cancer, despite the fact that there is one extended scene in a doctor’s surgery where Julián reveals his wishes . . . The film is really about all the insecurities that infest so many male relationships, including that with a son. Julián’s visit (with Tomás) to his son Nico (Oriol Pia) at a university in Amsterdam is one of the dramatic highpoints of this wholly engaging film. The interactions between the three men are superbly observed and performed.

And then there is Truman, the lovely old boxer and Julián’s close friend, whose future happiness and comfort are of vital importance to Julián. He ‘auditions’ potential adoptive owners for Truman and there are several warmly humorous moments between man and dog, revealing much about Julián’s character.

Dolores Fonzi plays Julián’s sister Paula, a terrific performance in a wonderful role which makes an unusual (but authentic) statement about the grieving process.

We surely anticipate what will eventually happen to Julián, but Cesc (short for Francesc) ensures that we don’t anticipate how sweetly he ends the film.

Source: http://www.urbancinefile.com.au accessed 21/10/2016