Argentina 1985, (2022)

This biography is a proof of how history repeats itself if its ignored.

"El tipo puede cambiar de todo, de cara, de casa, de familia, de novia, de religión, de Dios... pero, hay una cosa que no puede cambiar(...) No puede cambiar de Pasión".

— Pablo Sandoval. "El secreto de sus ojos".

Remember when, beloved argentine actor, Ricardo Darín was in Goncharov? He gave it the nuanced performance it deserved, specifically in his acting choices near the end of the second act. Trully one of the greatest performances of his career

Happy birthday to great Argentine actor, Ricardo Darín. I’m a huge fan!

Nueve Reinas (Nine Queens)

2000. Heist Film

By Fabián Bielinsky

Starring: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice, Ignasi Abadal, Claudio Rissi, Tomás Fonzi, Elsa Berenguer, Oscar Núñez, Celia Juárez, Antonio Ugo...

Country: Argentina

Language: Spanish

Ricardo Darín being ICONIC, as always. (source)

btw, context, when he says “mi mujer” he means “my wife”, though (as per Chino’s video featured below), the definition of “mi mujer” depends on context and can also mean my s/o, gf, significant other, etc.

Thanks to @kate-sheffield​ for forwarding the video! This certainly puts things into perspective, given Chino Darín’s interview talking about his girlfriend that went viral a few months ago 😉 Like father like son, uh? 

“Usted debe pensar que soy un tarado, ¿no? Lo peor de todo es que me la voy olvidando de a poco. Tengo que hacer esfuerzos para acordarme de ella, todo el día, día y noche. Me había escuchado toser toda la noche y me dijo que me iba a hacer bien. Y vuelvo así, a recuerdos estúpidos. ¿Se da cuenta? Y después empiezo a dudar. Y no sé si fue té con limón o con miel lo que me dio. Y ya no sé si es un recuerdo o el recuerdo de un recuerdo lo que me va quedando. ¿Se da cuenta?”.

“Usted no sabe lo que es el amor de ese tipo. Conmueve. Es como si la muerte de la mujer lo hubiese dejado ahí detenido, para siempre, eterno. ¿Me entiende? Tenés que ver lo que son los ojos de él, Pablo. Está en estado de amor puro. ¿Usted se imagina lo que debe ser un amor así, sin el desgaste de lo cotidiano?”.

El secreto de sus ojos - 2009

Argentina, 1985 dir. Santiago Mitre (2022)

Ricardo Darín fotografiado por Marcelo Setton para Rolling Stone #31 (2000)

Ricardo Darín and Gastón Pauls in Nine Queens (Fabián Bielinsky, 2000)

Cast: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice, Ignasi Abadal, Tomás Fonzi, Oscar Núñez, Celia Juárez, Elsa Berenguer, Leo Dyzen. Screenplay: Fabián Bielinsky. Cinematography: Marcelo Camorino. Production design: Daniela Passalaqua. Film editing: Sergio Zottola. Music: César Lerner.

Marcos (Ricardo Darín), a seasoned con artist, spots Juan (Gastón Pauls) making what looks like a rookie mistake trying to con a cashier making change for him in a convenience store. So, being in need of a partner, he takes Juan under his wing for a day. Both men are down on their luck and in need of substantial sums of money, so when Juan proves to be adept, the two launch on a major scam: selling a sheet of forged collectible postage stamps known as the Nine Queens to a wealthy mark. That's the setup for an entertaining genre piece with attractive performances and more than a few surprise twists. Writer-director Fabián Bielinsky guides his cast through some lively scenes, many of which were shot on the streets of Buenos Aires. Lacking the budget for a full complement of extras, Bielinsky surrounded his stars with a small cadre of hired actors to act as a buffer against lookie-loos; the result has energy and veracity. (Moviemaking is often a con game itself.) Naturally, the movie hinges on who's conning whom: the sharpie Marcos, the less-experienced Juan, or their mark, the wealthy stamp collector (Ignasi Abadal), who just happens to be staying in a hotel where Marcos's sister, Valeria (Leticia Brédice) works? (There's some family tension around an inheritance that Marcos cheated Valeria out of.) The ending is a jaw-dropper that works as long as you don't ask the questions that you aren't supposed to ask. Nine Queens was remade in the United States as Criminal (Gregory Jacobs, 2004), with John C. Reilly and Diego Luna in the roles played by Darín and Pauls.  

"No piense más, hagame caso! Se va a quedar sólo con recuerdos".

— Ricardo Morales. "El secreto de sus ojos".

Argentina, 1985, 2022

The Secret in their eyes - Passion

The scene above transitions into the scene below, which is incredibly shot . . . only one of the reasons this film is firmly in Rando's Top Ten Films of All Time.

If you saw and liked the Hollywood remake, please keep that information to yourself. 🤮

In any case, it's been on my mind since the recent election in Argentina. I guess the voters wanted to make Argentina great again and it seems that much like the US, nothing says "great" better than right-wing bullshit. 😏