Buenos Aires Vice Versa
Encyclopedia
Buenos Aires Vice Versa (1996
) is an Argentine
and Dutch
dramatic film
, written and directed by Alejandro Agresti
. The film was produced by Alejandro Agresti and Axel Harding, and co-produced by Emjay Rechsteiner.
The picture deals with the alienation felt by the children who survived the Argentine military dictatorship of the 1970s.
As the film begins a message appears and reminds the audience that approximately 30,000 people died during the Dirty War
due to the military dictatorship's reign during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The story is then dedicated to the surviving children of the murdered. Two such children, now adults are the main characters. One, Daniela (Vera Fogwill
), now has her degree in film and is having trouble finding work. She's hired by an older couple, living in recluse, to film Buenos Aires for them. She goes out and documents the city. Yet, her customers are upset as they don't remember the Buenos Aires Daniela has filmed. She then shoots a reel of tourist-type shots. The other, Damián, played by Nicolás Pauls, works in a low-rent motel who discovers the real story about his parents during the dictatorship.
The story is largely episodic, mashing together more than 6 different story lines.
's reactionary military junta assumed power on March 24, 1976. During the junta's rule: the parliament was suspended, unions, political parties and provincial governments were banned, and in what became known as the Dirty War
between 9,000 and 30,000 people deemed left-wing "subversives" disappeared from society.
The film was first presented at the Mar del Plata Film Festival
in November 1996. It opened wide in Argentina on September 18, 1997.
The film was screened at various film festivals, including: the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
, France
; the Contemporary Latin American Film Series at UCLA, Los Angeles
; the Oslo Film Festival, Norway
; the Havana Film Festival
, Cuba
; and others.
Nominations
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
) is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
dramatic film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, written and directed by Alejandro Agresti
Alejandro Agresti
Alejandro Agresti is an Argentine film director and producer. He has become increasingly influential in the United States and directed The Lake House with top Hollywood actors Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in 2006....
. The film was produced by Alejandro Agresti and Axel Harding, and co-produced by Emjay Rechsteiner.
The picture deals with the alienation felt by the children who survived the Argentine military dictatorship of the 1970s.
Plot
Opening Title Graphic:As the film begins a message appears and reminds the audience that approximately 30,000 people died during the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
due to the military dictatorship's reign during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The story is then dedicated to the surviving children of the murdered. Two such children, now adults are the main characters. One, Daniela (Vera Fogwill
Vera Fogwill
Vera Fogwill is an Argentine film and television actress, film director, and screenplay writer.She works in the cinema of Argentina.-Filmography:Acting...
), now has her degree in film and is having trouble finding work. She's hired by an older couple, living in recluse, to film Buenos Aires for them. She goes out and documents the city. Yet, her customers are upset as they don't remember the Buenos Aires Daniela has filmed. She then shoots a reel of tourist-type shots. The other, Damián, played by Nicolás Pauls, works in a low-rent motel who discovers the real story about his parents during the dictatorship.
The story is largely episodic, mashing together more than 6 different story lines.
Cast
- Vera FogwillVera FogwillVera Fogwill is an Argentine film and television actress, film director, and screenplay writer.She works in the cinema of Argentina.-Filmography:Acting...
as Daniela - Nicolás PaulsNicolás PaulsNicolás Pauls is an Argentine actor. The brother of actor Gastón Pauls, he made his breakthrough in television series 90-60-90 modelos and film Buenos Aires Vice Versa in 1996, for which he earned Argentine Film Critics Association Awards for Best New Star nomination.- Films :- Television :-...
as Damián - Fernán MirásFernán MirásFernán Mirás is an Argentine film and television actor. He is sometimes credited as Fernando Mirás.-Filmography :* Tango feroz * Buenos Aires Vice Versa * Claim...
as Mario - Mirta BusnelliMirta BusnelliMirta Busnelli is an Argentine theatre, film and television actress, best known for her role in Los exitosos Pells.She has a daughter called Ana Pauls, and two sons Nicholas Pauls and Gaston Pauls.-External links:...
as Loca tv - Carlos RofféCarlos RofféCarlos Roffé was an Argentine film and television actor active between 1969 and 2005.He worked in the cinema of Argentina. IN 1985 he appeared as himself in Bailoretto, la aventura de un rebelde. In the late 1980s and early 1990s he appeared in a number of films of Alejandro Agresti...
as Service - Mario PaolucciMario PaolucciMario Paolucci is an Argentine film actor....
as Amigo - Laura Melillo as Ciega
- Harry Havilio as Tío
- Nazareno CaseroNazareno CaseroNazareno Casero is an Argentine film and television actor. He works in the cinema of Argentina.- Biography :The son of actor Alfredo Casero, Nazareno started acting in 1996 under the direction of Alejandro Agresti, in Buenos Aires Vice Versa. His role earned him a Silver Condor nomination from the...
as Bocha - Carlos GalettiniCarlos GalettiniCarlos Galettini is a Silver Condor nominated Argentine film director, film producer and screenplay writer.He worked mainly in the Cinema of Argentina. He directed Besos en la Frente in 1996.-Footnotes:...
as Don Nicolás - Floria Bloise as Doña Amalia
- Inés MolinaInés MolinaInés Molina is a film and television actor. Sometimes she is credited as Inés Molina Villafañe.She works in the cinema of Argentina.-Filmography:* Sur aka The South* El Viaje aka The Journey...
as Chica
Background
The film is based on the aftermath of the real political events that took place in Argentina after Jorge Rafael VidelaJorge Rafael Videla
Jorge Rafael Videla Redondo is a former senior commander in the Argentine Army who was the de facto President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. He came to power in a coup d'état that deposed Isabel Martínez de Perón...
's reactionary military junta assumed power on March 24, 1976. During the junta's rule: the parliament was suspended, unions, political parties and provincial governments were banned, and in what became known as the Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
between 9,000 and 30,000 people deemed left-wing "subversives" disappeared from society.
Distribution
Mar del Plata Film Festival
The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
in November 1996. It opened wide in Argentina on September 18, 1997.
The film was screened at various film festivals, including: the 1996 Cannes Film Festival
1996 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Francis Ford Coppola *Nathalie Baye *Greta Scacchi, actrice *Michael Ballhaus *Henry Chapier *Atom Egoyan *Eiko Ishioka *Krzysztof Piesiewicz *Antonio Tabucchi...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; the Contemporary Latin American Film Series at UCLA, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
; the Oslo Film Festival, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
; the Havana Film Festival
Havana Film Festival
The Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Spanish-language filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana, and in English as Festival of New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana.The festival takes place...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
; and others.
Critical reception
Film critic Karen Jaehne praised the film, and wrote, "The film tells you enough about each character to raise your sympathy and not enough to let us see any possible resolution of the dilemma of loneliness. It's an intelligent film that observes mannerisms and social behavior in a way that makes you nod and say, yes, that's how it is...It builds toward a very powerful ending that reminds us of all urban disaster, but the problem that has made Buenos Aires a metropolitan orphanage is undeniable. Buenos Aires - Vice Versa is a wise film - worth watching and will undoubtedly make it to a festival near you."Awards
Wins- Mar del Plata Film FestivalMar del Plata Film FestivalThe Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
: Best Ibero-American Film, Alejandro Agresti; FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize, Alejandro Agresti; OCIC Award - Honorable Mention, Alejandro Agresti; 1996. - Havana Film FestivalHavana Film FestivalThe Havana Film Festival is a Cuban festival that focuses on the promotion of Spanish-language filmmakers. It is also known in Spanish as Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de La Habana, and in English as Festival of New Latinamerican Cinema of La Havana.The festival takes place...
: Special Jury Prize, Alejandro Agresti; 1996. - Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor; Best Editing, Alejandro Agresti, Alejandro Brodersohn; Best Film; Best New Actress, Vera Fogwill; Best Original Screenplay, Alejandro Agresti; 1998.
Nominations
- Netherlands Film FestivalNetherlands Film FestivalThe Netherlands Film Festival is an annual film festival, held in September and October of each year in the city of Utrecht.During the ten-day festival, all Dutch film productions of the previous year are exhibited. Besides feature films, the program also consists of short subjects, documentary...
: Golden Calf, Best Director of a Feature Film, Alejandro Agresti; 1997. - Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Director, Alejandro Agresti; Best New Acto, Nazareno Casero; Best New Actor), Nicolás Pauls; Best Supporting Actor, Carlos Roffé; Best Supporting Actress, Mirta Busnelli; 1998.
External links
- Buenos Aires viceversa at cinenacional.comCinenacional.comCinenacional.com is a web portal and web-based database about Argentine cinema.The site provides a vast array of information, including: films, television programs, directors, actors, cinematographers, film editors, production designers, and other production professions in Argentina...
- Buenos Aires viceversa film review at Cineismo by Guillermo Ravaschino
- Buenos Aires viceversa film clip at You Tube