A meditation on the life of two male Argentines as a couple.
A nursery garden and a house outside the city are the chosen places to live for Juan Diego (Ezequiel Martínez) a writer/storyteller and Mariano (Santiago Magariños) a graphic designer wh-o became a plant seller.
Slowly and softly, this fictional film records the daily activities and conversations of the couple in the company of a white French Poodle, from dawn to dusk and beyond. As their routines are shown they reveal a little of the complexities each one has.
Their friend Carla (Nazarena Rozas) arrives visiting for a few days. She tells them she is two months pregnant. Her visit brings questions that need to be answered. All three of them are in their late 20s, early 30s, and they enjoy walking into the woods, making selfies, talking in general and, in particular, to speak about friends that have left, and they drink wine and share meals. They read books too and Carla and Mariano make allusions to the stories in the books , that Juan Diego writes.
Drinking Mate is a constant ritual for them as are morning walks. A lot of fresh air for new ideas. There are hints that Mariano is into a treatment and a bit bored in the quietness that surrounds him, the dating App he uses doesn’t help in the small town. Juan Diego thinks a lot but expresses less and his quietness is kind of uncomfortable for Carla and Mariano. Juan Diego says he has existential issues to attend.
Juan Diego thinks of his relationship with Mariano and how to fall in love is life changing for good or bad. Life as a couple is difficult for them. He expresses he is afraid to lose Mariano and what they have built together. They are two people trying constantly to understand each other, to be in tune and connected but there are silences also. A penny for your thoughts?
Fans and readers like Juan Diego´s novels, although he feels strange and he seems to live in a kind of indolence that transcends to the couple. We learn he’s writing about them as the title of the film infers
After Clara is gone, we watch Juan Diego and Mariano having Mate outdoors, another morning comes, the sun is rising…
Written and directed by Nicolás Teté. (A Skeleton In The Closet) picture fits perfectly into the many facets of so-called New Argentine Cinema. An intimate story that, hopefully, gets the audience it deserves.
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of El Azar Cultural, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager to live the experience.
Labels: 2024, Argentina, Ezequiel Martínez, José Mayorgas, Nicolas Tete, review, What We Wrote Together
