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The Minder (film)
Encyclopedia
The Minder is a 2006 Argentine drama film
directed by Rodrigo Moreno
. It was co-produced by Argentina
, Uruguay
, France
and Germany
. (In English
the title literally means: "The Bodyguard.")
The motion picture features Julio Chávez
as the bodyguard
, and Osmar Núñez
as the man he protects for a living. The film tells of bodyguard Rubén, who is in charge of protecting Artemio, the Argentine's Minister of Planification.
Rubén has little to no private life as well: his sister is a wreck, her daughter, spoiled; he visits prostitutes in his spare time and is unappreciated by those who surround him at work. His only real relationship is Artemio's driver, Salinas (Adrian Andrade), whose simplicity does not suffice Rubén.
Eventually, Rubén snaps: tired of his boss' infidelity to his wife, his downright hypocrisy and disdainful manner towards him, he frequents an illegal arms dealer, purchasing a gun with a silencer. When his boss suffers a heart attack, Rubén is left to take care of him, and soon he shoots Artemio offhand - the one person who is supposed to protect him from a threat that remains invisible in the film. He then runs away to Mar del Plata
, where the last scene has Rubén contemplating the sea he never swam (foreshadow
ed earlier in the movie, during a visit to the city).
A recurrent theme has Rubén being unable to walk through any door while on screen.
on February 13, 2006. Later it screened at the Toulouse Latin America Film Festival, France
, on March 22, 2006.
In the United States the film opened on March 22, 2007.
The picture was also shown at various film festivals, including: the Alba Regia International Film Festival, Romania
; the Transilvania International Film Festival, Czech Republic
; the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Netherlands
; the Dubai International Film Festival
, Dubai
; the Uruguayan Film Festival; the Satiago International Film Festival, Chile
; the Arras Film Festival, France, and others.
Release dates by country of production
, lauded Moreno's innovative directorial effort and wrote, "The movie is a triumph of mise-en-scene. Each shot has a reason to exist since Ruben's point-of-view is always respected, and the images and sounds we perceive reveal more about his inner life than any conversation or explanation...[the] great thing about Moreno...is that the so-called Argentine new wave is still able to produce films that are thought to be provoking, different and challenging. "
Critic Deborah Young, critic for Variety
magazine, also liked Moreno's directorial work and his cinema group's technical effort and wrote, "One of the more admirable aspects of the film is Moreno's tight control over the camera work and editing. Cinematographer Barbara Alvarez uses the sterility of fixed frame shots and desaturated colors as correlates to the protag's compulsively rule-driven life. Nicolas Goldbart's editing gives the story a steady, somewhat numbing rhythm."
When the film was featured at the Uruguayan Film Festival, critic Mariana Amieva wrote, "Rodrigo Moreno, showcases the excellent work of Julio Chávez
, one of the best Argentine actors around today. The story focuses on one of those characters that always goes unnoticed, in this case a grey bodyguard." Yet, she believes the film "becomes a little lost" at the end.
.
The exception is the part in the film where Ruben's niece is forced to stop singing karaoke, and then in the next scene, in a place that's not in the karaoke restaurant, the unaccompanied karaoke instrumental track continues in the background.
Nominations
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...
directed by Rodrigo Moreno
Rodrigo Moreno
For the Colombian racewalker with the same name see Rodrigo Moreno For the naturalized Spanish footballer currently playing for Bolton Wanderers see Rodrigo Moreno Machado....
. It was co-produced by Argentina
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...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, 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...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. (In English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
the title literally means: "The Bodyguard.")
The motion picture features Julio Chávez
Julio Chávez
Julio Chávez is a well-known Argentine film and television actor.He was born Julio Hirsch in Buenos Aires, and received his first film role in 1973...
as the bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
, and Osmar Núñez
Osmar Núñez
-Filmography:* El Milagro secreto * Los Senderos * Con palos y piedras * Vivir Intentando * Informe nocturno * Un Año sin amor aka A Year Without Love* Mientras tanto...
as the man he protects for a living. The film tells of bodyguard Rubén, who is in charge of protecting Artemio, the Argentine's Minister of Planification.
Plot
Rubén (Chávez) is excellent in his job, but in the midst of an existentialist crisis, he begins to suffer from the emptiness of his life - having sworn to protect Artemio (Núñez), a man who barely acknowledges his presence or merit; a man with whom, in fact, has little dialogue or contact throughout the movie, even when they share the screen most of the time.Rubén has little to no private life as well: his sister is a wreck, her daughter, spoiled; he visits prostitutes in his spare time and is unappreciated by those who surround him at work. His only real relationship is Artemio's driver, Salinas (Adrian Andrade), whose simplicity does not suffice Rubén.
Eventually, Rubén snaps: tired of his boss' infidelity to his wife, his downright hypocrisy and disdainful manner towards him, he frequents an illegal arms dealer, purchasing a gun with a silencer. When his boss suffers a heart attack, Rubén is left to take care of him, and soon he shoots Artemio offhand - the one person who is supposed to protect him from a threat that remains invisible in the film. He then runs away to Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
, where the last scene has Rubén contemplating the sea he never swam (foreshadow
Foreshadow
Foreshadow is a Polish record label.The label formarly included such artists as As All Die, Moss, Niko Skorpio, Oktor, Quercus, The River, Transcendent Device, Váli. Current artists include Dream System, Nadja, and Newbreed....
ed earlier in the movie, during a visit to the city).
Cast
- Julio ChávezJulio ChávezJulio Chávez is a well-known Argentine film and television actor.He was born Julio Hirsch in Buenos Aires, and received his first film role in 1973...
as Rubén - Osmar NúñezOsmar Núñez-Filmography:* El Milagro secreto * Los Senderos * Con palos y piedras * Vivir Intentando * Informe nocturno * Un Año sin amor aka A Year Without Love* Mientras tanto...
as Artemio - Marcelo D'AndreaMarcelo D'Andrea-Filmography:* El Custodio , The Minder* Potestad * Claim * Yepeto * La Peste aka The Plague-External links:...
as Andrea - Adrian Andrade as Salinas
- Elvira Onetto as Delia
- Cristina Villamor as Beatriz
- Luciana Lifschitz as Sobrina
Background
Screenplay writer and director Moreno shoots the film from Ruben's point of view. He also relies on lengthy, static takes in order to capture the emptiness of the bodyguard's life.Themes
Loneliness and angst are the central themes of this movie. The story has a slow pace, with still shots channeling Rubén's quiet pain as he is usually separated from the main crowd. The action takes place far away from the camera; we are left with lonely Rubén contemplating the events from afar. The cold surroundings are quickly replaced with warmth, music and dialogue whenever he approaches the ongoing action (the ministry, surrounded by his cohorts or friends; as well as her sister and family).A recurrent theme has Rubén being unable to walk through any door while on screen.
Distribution
The film was first featured at the Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
on February 13, 2006. Later it screened at the Toulouse Latin America Film Festival, 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...
, on March 22, 2006.
In the United States the film opened on March 22, 2007.
The picture was also shown at various film festivals, including: the Alba Regia International Film Festival, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
; the Transilvania International Film Festival, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
; the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Netherlands
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...
; the Dubai International Film Festival
Dubai International Film Festival
The Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
; the Uruguayan Film Festival; the Satiago International Film Festival, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
; the Arras Film Festival, France, and others.
Release dates by country of production
- ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , 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...
: April 6, 2006 - FranceFranceThe 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...
: April 7, 2007 - GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
: May 24, 2007 - UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
: April 1, 2006
Critical reception
Diego Lerer, film critic for Argentina's daily ClarínClarín (newspaper)
Clarín is the largest newspaper in Argentina, published by the Grupo Clarín media group. It was founded by Roberto Noble on 28 August 1945. It is politically centrist but popularly understood to oppose the Kirchner government...
, lauded Moreno's innovative directorial effort and wrote, "The movie is a triumph of mise-en-scene. Each shot has a reason to exist since Ruben's point-of-view is always respected, and the images and sounds we perceive reveal more about his inner life than any conversation or explanation...[the] great thing about Moreno...is that the so-called Argentine new wave is still able to produce films that are thought to be provoking, different and challenging. "
Critic Deborah Young, critic for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
magazine, also liked Moreno's directorial work and his cinema group's technical effort and wrote, "One of the more admirable aspects of the film is Moreno's tight control over the camera work and editing. Cinematographer Barbara Alvarez uses the sterility of fixed frame shots and desaturated colors as correlates to the protag's compulsively rule-driven life. Nicolas Goldbart's editing gives the story a steady, somewhat numbing rhythm."
When the film was featured at the Uruguayan Film Festival, critic Mariana Amieva wrote, "Rodrigo Moreno, showcases the excellent work of Julio Chávez
Julio Chávez
Julio Chávez is a well-known Argentine film and television actor.He was born Julio Hirsch in Buenos Aires, and received his first film role in 1973...
, one of the best Argentine actors around today. The story focuses on one of those characters that always goes unnoticed, in this case a grey bodyguard." Yet, she believes the film "becomes a little lost" at the end.
Soundtrack
All music in the film is diegetic; that is, exists within the fiction of the movie, and is not part of the soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
The exception is the part in the film where Ruben's niece is forced to stop singing karaoke, and then in the next scene, in a place that's not in the karaoke restaurant, the unaccompanied karaoke instrumental track continues in the background.
Awards
Wins- Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
: Alfred Bauer Award, Rodrigo Moreno; 2006. - Bogota Film Festival: Golden Precolumbian Circle; Best Director, Rodrigo Moreno; Best Film, Rodrigo Moreno; Honorable Mention, Best Actor, Julio Chávez; 2006.
- Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Horizons Award, Rodrigo Moreno; 2006.
Nominations
- Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear; Rodrigo Moreno; 2006.
External links
- El custodio 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...