Paula Hernández’s (The Sleepwalkers) quietly powerful film depicts the complex relationships of two fathers and their children in the Argentinian countryside.
After a mechanical problem with their car — also their home — a travelling Protestant Reverend and his young daughter and assistant get help from and spend time with another father and his young son who live in an isolated region of the Argentinian countryside. This quietly powerful film depicts the complex relationships of and parallels between two fathers and their children. They seem to be polar opposites, but they end up sharing more than they could ever imagine.
Leni, brightly observant and on the brink of becoming an adult, is realizing that the destiny her father has designed for her might not be in line with what she wants for herself, even if she doesn’t know exactly what that might be. Still, she dutifully follows instructions and supports him in every way she can — until they happen upon Gringo and his son Chango. Their rough demeanour cannot hide a caring bond that the nosy preacher doesn’t seem to comprehend. The fateful meeting prompts Leni to question her zealous father’s smothering ways, and its aftermath will change all their lives forever.
Paula Hernández returns to the Festival after her Platform selection The Sleepwalkers (TIFF '19) with another poignant story, bringing outstanding performances — Alfredo Castro as Reverend Pierson, Almudena González as Leni, Sergi López as Gringo, and Joaquín Acebo as Chango — that push the brooding, rarified script into the fully realized vision it creates.
DIANA CADAVID
Official Selection, 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
Content advisory: violence