DVD Review - El Faro (The Lighthouse)
Two Argentine sisters are orphaned after a terrible traffic accident takes the lives of their parents and younger brother. The older sister Meme (Ingrid Rubio) is left with a lame leg and a big scar. Younger Ane shows no physical scarring but is filled with inner pain as she carries around a family photo album that she frequently looks at.
The sisters go to Uruguay to live with their aunt. That doesn't work out so they move on. Meme gets a job working at a restaurant owned by Andy (Ricardo Darin) who takes the girls under his wing. The very lonely Meme tries to have a relationship with a young man but he cannot bring himself to be with her because of her disability. This prompts her to leave and before you know it the girls find another place to live.
This time they meet Dolores (Norma Alejandro) who was a friend of their mother's. Neme shows a flair for designing clothing and helps Dolores sell things in a market. Neme also starts an affair with a married man who also sells his wares at the market. Things don't go her way and she finds herself and Ane moving on once again. Andy comes to the rescue and invites them to stay at his house on the beach (which happens to be near a lighthouse). But, things turn sour there as well and the girls are once again on the move. They go back to the city where Dolores and her brother Fernando live. Much more happens but I will not say anything else because I do not want to things for those who decide to see this film.
This is above all a story of pain and loss. It is also a story of new beginnings and trying to put your life back together after tragedy strikes. Eduardo Mignogna beautifully and sensitively directs the film from a script written by Graciela Aguirre and Jose Antonio Felez. Ingrid Rubio is a marvel as the depressed, high strung Meme. Jimena Baron is a real discovery as the child Ane and Florencia Betotti is very good as the young adult Ane. Also wonderful are Norberto Diazas Fernando, Norma Alejandro as Dolores and the great Argentine actor Ricardo Darin as Andy. This film won a Goya in 1999 for the best Spanish language foreign film. I rented the DVD mainly because I like Darin but I was surprised at how good it is. If you want to see a film that touches your heart I highly recommend this one.
The sisters go to Uruguay to live with their aunt. That doesn't work out so they move on. Meme gets a job working at a restaurant owned by Andy (Ricardo Darin) who takes the girls under his wing. The very lonely Meme tries to have a relationship with a young man but he cannot bring himself to be with her because of her disability. This prompts her to leave and before you know it the girls find another place to live.
This time they meet Dolores (Norma Alejandro) who was a friend of their mother's. Neme shows a flair for designing clothing and helps Dolores sell things in a market. Neme also starts an affair with a married man who also sells his wares at the market. Things don't go her way and she finds herself and Ane moving on once again. Andy comes to the rescue and invites them to stay at his house on the beach (which happens to be near a lighthouse). But, things turn sour there as well and the girls are once again on the move. They go back to the city where Dolores and her brother Fernando live. Much more happens but I will not say anything else because I do not want to things for those who decide to see this film.
This is above all a story of pain and loss. It is also a story of new beginnings and trying to put your life back together after tragedy strikes. Eduardo Mignogna beautifully and sensitively directs the film from a script written by Graciela Aguirre and Jose Antonio Felez. Ingrid Rubio is a marvel as the depressed, high strung Meme. Jimena Baron is a real discovery as the child Ane and Florencia Betotti is very good as the young adult Ane. Also wonderful are Norberto Diazas Fernando, Norma Alejandro as Dolores and the great Argentine actor Ricardo Darin as Andy. This film won a Goya in 1999 for the best Spanish language foreign film. I rented the DVD mainly because I like Darin but I was surprised at how good it is. If you want to see a film that touches your heart I highly recommend this one.
posted by Film Fanatic | 2:40 PM
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