Common Places
Encyclopedia
Common Places (2002
) is an Argentine
and Spanish
drama film
co-written, co-produced and directed by Adolfo Aristarain
. The film marks the seventh collaboration between Aristarain and actor Federico Luppi. It also stars Mercedes Sampietro
and Arturo Puig
.
) are forced to reevaluate their lives and make major changes in them. These include setting the record straight with their son, exiled in Madrid
and starting out a new life. They decide to buy a small lavender
farm in Córdoba
from a widowed man, Zacarías, and with the aid of their lawyer friend Carlos (Arturo Puig
), attempt to start out their new business.
Along the way, Fernando, an aspiring writer himself, jots down notes and ideas for a novel in a book, which he frequently narrates in voice-overs. But this attempt at a new life is cut short when Fernando suddenly contracts pneumonia
one cold night on the mountains. He is hospitalized and dies over a week, with enough time to bid farewell to his family and tell his wife all he never said out loud.
Liliana rejects the help of the sympathetic Carlos and the offer from her son Pedro to come live with his family in Spain
. She opts to carry on her late husband's attempt of a new life, and stays in the farm Fernando helped rebuild.
2002 in film
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
) 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 Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
co-written, co-produced and directed by Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain is an Argentine film director whom Variety has deemed a "master filmmaker."After leaving Argentina Aristarain started working as assistant director in the Arcente cinema, and then in Europe during his short exile for Mario Camus, Giorgio Stegani and Lewis Gilbert before...
. The film marks the seventh collaboration between Aristarain and actor Federico Luppi. It also stars Mercedes Sampietro
Mercedes Sampietro
Mercedes Sampietro is a Spanish actress.Her debut on stages was in 1979, and in cinema, seven years later, with Jaime Chávarri's A un dios desconocido...
and Arturo Puig
Arturo Puig
Arturo Puig is an Argentine theatre, television and motion picture actor.-Cinema:* Los Muchachos de mi barrio * El Veraneo de los Campanelli * He nacido en la ribera * Me gusta esa chica...
.
Synopsis
After being forced to retire, literature professor Fernando Robles (Federico Luppi) and his wife Liliana (Mercedes SampietroMercedes Sampietro
Mercedes Sampietro is a Spanish actress.Her debut on stages was in 1979, and in cinema, seven years later, with Jaime Chávarri's A un dios desconocido...
) are forced to reevaluate their lives and make major changes in them. These include setting the record straight with their son, exiled in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and starting out a new life. They decide to buy a small lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
farm in Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
from a widowed man, Zacarías, and with the aid of their lawyer friend Carlos (Arturo Puig
Arturo Puig
Arturo Puig is an Argentine theatre, television and motion picture actor.-Cinema:* Los Muchachos de mi barrio * El Veraneo de los Campanelli * He nacido en la ribera * Me gusta esa chica...
), attempt to start out their new business.
Along the way, Fernando, an aspiring writer himself, jots down notes and ideas for a novel in a book, which he frequently narrates in voice-overs. But this attempt at a new life is cut short when Fernando suddenly contracts pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
one cold night on the mountains. He is hospitalized and dies over a week, with enough time to bid farewell to his family and tell his wife all he never said out loud.
Liliana rejects the help of the sympathetic Carlos and the offer from her son Pedro to come live with his family in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. She opts to carry on her late husband's attempt of a new life, and stays in the farm Fernando helped rebuild.