The next few weeks store several pleasant surprises for us movie fans in the city of San Francisco — two Chilean and a Paraguayan film and a visit from one of the filmmakers.
Successful Paraguayan Film
The Roxie Cinema presents the Paraguayan sensation “7 Boxes,” a film of which a remake is already being made in Hollywood.
Awarded at the Toronto and San Sebastian film festivals, “7 Boxes” was a box office hit in its home country.
It tells the story of Victor (Celso Franco), who works in the municipal market carrying a cart. He is presented with the opportunity to make money through a shady business that involves transporting 7 mysterious boxes. From there, things get out of hand.
Entertaining, funny and full of intrigue and excitement, the film boasts a succinct script and a varied cast of wonderful actors that keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. A refined montage and a sharp cinematography constitute the icing on a cake of excellent film labor.
It should be noted that much of the dialogue in “7 Boxes” is not in Spanish but in Guaraní, the indigenous language in that area of South America.
Cinema of Chile
In what appears to be a golden age for Chilean cinema, our city welcomes the work of two Sebastians— filmmakers Sebastian Silva and Sebastian Lelio.
“Gloria” by Sebastián Lelio, director of “The Year of the Tiger” (2011) and “The Holy Family” (2005), follows the events in the life of a divorced middle class woman.
The film is a brilliant character study of Gloria, recalling similar enterprises like Gena Rowland in “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974) by John Cassavetes.
The solid performance of actress Paulina Garcia is of great complexity and realism, which earned him an award at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival in Germany. The film was also awarded at the Festival de Cine de San Sebastián in the Basque Country.
In building the main character, the script finds a perfect balance between the dramatic, the endearing and the funny. Meanwhile, a self-contained editing style of the takes that scrutinize the protagonist provides the film a cadence commensurate with her age.
“Gloria” is a production of Fábula, the company owned by brothers Juan De Dios and Pablo Larrain (“Tony Manero”, “No”), which is playing a key role in the prolific film production in Chile nowadays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hWnBYYK1eM
Another example of the many movies coming out of Chile nowadays is “Magic Magic” by Sebastián Silva, who will be visiting our city to present his film in person.
Invited by the San Francisco Film Society as an ‘artist in residence,’ he will also visit schools and give a free talk.
Silva entered the film scene in 2009 with “The Maid” — nominated for a Golden Globe and awarded at the Sundance Film Festival — and followed with “Old Cats” a year later. Ever since, his career has made a turn towards to the international market.
“Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus” and “Magic Magic” are the two films he made last year with the participation of actor Michael Cera. While both were shot in Chile — in the north, Atacama, and in the south, in Mapuche territory — much of the dialogue is in English.
“Magic Magic” narrates the holidays a group of young people are having in the south of the country. The film explores the dynamics generated within the group, focusing on one of the girls, newly arrived from California, who suffers an emotional crisis.
Subtle and with certain echoes to “Friday the 13th” but with an esoteric touch rather than gore, the film belongs to the fantasy genre and has great production value
Currently working on another production with Fábula, “Nasty Baby,” Silva’s career seems to be moving into the international realm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzZSljjc8Ys
For more information visit: www.roxie.com, www.landmarktheatres.com, www.sffs.org
—Translation Alfonso Agirre