Worcester’s 18th Latino Film Festival – April 2-April 7, 2013
MI PRIMERA BODA (My First Wedding)
(Argentina 2011)
Tuesday April 2 @ 7:30PM in Jefferson Academic Center 320.
Comedy. Direction: Ariel Winograd; screenplay: Patricio Vega
Jewish-born Adrian and Catholic-born Leonora have finally reached their wedding
day. Instead of gracefully embracing matrimony, Adrian spends the hours leading up to the ceremony trying to postpone it, not because he’s got cold feet (or does he?), but because he’s clumsily lost both his and his bride-to-be’s sacred wedding rings. Disaster ensues in this winning comedy about the politics of the proverbial “Big Day.” 102 min. Subtitles.
PLAY THE TRAILER:
JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS (Juan of the Dead)
(Cuba 2011; NR)
Thursday April 4 @ 7:30PM, Sunday April 7 @ 4PM in Jefferson Academic Center 320.
Comedy/horror. Direction and screenplay: Alejandro Brugues
Juan is 40 years old, most of which he has spent in Cuba doing absolutely nothing. His only emotional tie is to his daughter Camila, a beautiful young girl who doesn’t want anything to do with her father because the only thing he’s good at is getting into trouble. Suddenly some strange things start to happen. People are turning violent and attacking each other. At first Juan was convinced it’s just another stage of the Revolution, but little by little he and his friends realize that something supernatural is going on. The affected victims aren’t vampires, they aren’t possessed, but they’re definitely not just dissidents either; a simple bite turns each victim into another violent killing machine and the only way to defeat them is by destroying their brains! Juan decides the best way of facing the crisis is by making some money out of it. 92 minutes. Subtitles.
PLAY THE TRAILER:
MAL DIA PARA PESCAR (Bad Day to Go Fishing)
(Uruguay 2009; NR)
Saturday April 6 @ 1PM in Jefferson Academic Center 320.
Comedy/drama. Direction: Alvaro Brechner; screenplay: Alvaro Brechner and Gary Piquer
Jacob van Oppen – formerly “the strongest man on earth,” now a washed-up alcoholic – and his crafty manager, Orsini, make good money staging bogus wrestling matches in small South American towns. When this oddball duo arrives in the unassuming village of Santa Maria, business really takes off: the local newspaper sponsors the fight, and the quiet hamlet becomes plastered with posters announcing an open challenge to a worthy adversary. The ever-resourceful Orsini is sure he can find the right opponent to throw the fight, but fishing in Santa Maria yields a bigger catch than he’d hoped for. 90 minutes. Subtitles.
PLAY THE TRAILER:
UN CUENTO CHINO (Chinese Take-Out)
(Argentina 2011; NR)
Saturday April 6 @ 7:30PM in Jefferson Academic Center 320.
Drama. Direction and screenplay: Sebastian Borensztein.
Un Cuento Chino explores the idea of chance and the arbitrariness of events. It opens idyllically when Jun, a Chinese man, takes his girlfriend out on a boat trip on a picturesque lake to propose to her. This image is quickly shattered when a cow falls from the sky, killing the girlfriend. The shattering of Jun’s happiness and the serene scene becomes a precedent for the rest of the film. It is this event which will ultimately change the life of bad-tempered ironmonger Roberto. Predominantly set in Buenos Aires, Un Cuento Chino is the story of Roberto who, in a series of unlikely events, is brought together with Jun, who has come to the city in search of his only living relative. A chance encounter in the street prompts Roberto to (somewhat unwillingly) offer the homeless Jun his help and a place to stay. Despite the monotony of his own life, the routine-obsessed protagonist is fascinated by chance; and although unable to communicate with his Chinese guest, it is the randomness of their being brought together that will transform his view of life. 93 min. Subtitles.
PLAY THE TRAILER:
SLEEP DEALER
(Mexico/USA 2008; NR)
Sunday April 7 @ 1PM in Jefferson Academic Center 320.
Science fiction. Direction: Alex Rivera; screenplay: Alex Rivera and David Riker.
“The concept of a world connected by technology, but divided by borders, is the central concept of Sleep Dealer. This ironic reality pushed me to imagine a future in which borders are sealed, and immigrants no longer come to America. Instead, in the world of Sleep Dealer, immigrants stay in their home countries, connect their bodies to ‘the net,’ and send their pure labor to robots in America. This is what used to be called the ‘American Dream,’ five minutes into the future”- Alex Rivera, director of Sleep Dealer, winner of the Alfred P Sloan Feature Prize and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (Sundance 2008) and Amnesty International Film Prize (Berlin 2008). 99 min. Subtitles.
PLAY THE TRAILER:
