By Roger Costa
PAULINA
A young woman discusses with her father the future of her career. Though she seeks advise and completely respects her father’s opinions, she had decided to abandon her reputable education to dedicate her entire time teaching at a social program in a problematic public school. With this opening scene, Argentinian writer/director Santiago Mitre makes it clear his intriguing thriller will be a platform to explore the attributes of a dramatic force called Dolores Fonzi. In the title-role, the Buenos Aires-born actress (who also appeared in this year’s spectacular comedy “Truman”) dominates every scene with such strength, suddenly shattered into turbulent emotions as she experiences a violent crime. She brilliantly manages the detailed aspects of both phases of her professional and personal conflicts, demonstrating incredible control of her character’s conditions of determination and consequent trauma. As she arrives in school, she will face a hard task to gain the rebellious students’ attention and respect, as they lack any desire to learn or to develop a relationship with her. She constantly struggles to bring her ideals and democratic values into the their lives, but doesn’t get any results. The camera turns its focus to the criminal activities of some students and a laborer who returns to the village, right when Paulina is caught up in the middle of their venture and is multiple raped by the gang. What ensues is a stormy investigation that will stir humanitarian integrity and moral procedures among the humble villagers living under the drastic violence of South America’s impoverished regions.
A master of the interconnected narrative style, who had penned acclaimed films such as “Lion’s Den”, “Carancho” and the highly awarded “The Student”, Santiago Mitre captures the depths of the horrifying situation, precisely raw, unpredictably suspenseful and influenced by neo-realism, creating a compelling examination on social, political and moral values, being challenged by poverty and violent circumstances. None of this would be possible without the outstanding revelatory performance by Dolores Fonzi. Her reactions and decisions build up one of those strong feminine persona hard to forget. (A Cinema Slate Release. Opens Friday, June 23rd at Spectacle Theatre, 124 S 3rd St, Brooklyn, NYC.)
BWOY
Utterly accurate, this sexy, curious account of a lonely gay man seeking love on the infinite possibilities of the Internet is much more than it appears. Director John G. Young explores the existential crisis of Brad, a 40-something-year-old separated man, grieving the death of his young son, overwhelmed with his financial customer service job, depressed and hopeless. His only motivation is finding a partner online, and eventually he becomes obsessed with a gorgeous young man from Jamaica with whom he develops an intense attachment on all technology devices. Their erotic and emotionally-charged connection intensifies, causing doubts and risks. Anthony Rapp gives a powerful, courageous performance as Brad, a man facing the insecurities of growing old alone and unsure of his sexuality. While he develops his character with authentic complexity and mysterious, suspicious dramatic techniques, director Young makes a coherent statement on prejudice in different forms: Brad is not open about his inner homo desires, and his Jamaican flirt lives under a restricted anti-gay regime that could end his life. Smartly shot mostly through the exchanges of messages, photos, moods and video sessions, Young’s darkly funny, irreverent and ambiguous drama is an efficient portrait of a contemporary gay man getting into trouble in the age of virtual sex. (A Breaking Glass Pictures Release. Opens Friday, June 23rd Exclusively at Museum of the Moving Image, Astoria, Queens, NYC.)
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