“OLD CATS” ****
It’s gonna be hard trying to fool octogenarian Isadora, because she’s as hard as a rock when challenged by anyone, especially her estranged and selfish lesbian daughter.
Two cats make their way into the room, announcing the morning time to feed them. Time to get up Isadora, as she screams “I don’t want to” waking up from a nightmare. She orders her husband to attend the cats, when the phone rings. At that moment, she predicts it’s about to be a hard long day, learning her daughter is back from a trip, and is coming for a visit. Isadora is determined to get her daily routine done, her grocery shopping, her medicine, meetings with a friend, scrubbing her cats, but a malfunction in the elevator leaves her trapped inside the apartment. She tries to cancel all the appointments, including having her daughter over, but it’s too late. And as she starts showing symptoms of the aging senility, she is afraid she could lose control in the event, although she is more alert than anyone else. Her main and only support comes from her husband, a writer disturbed while trying to work on a project, who must keep his eyes open to any distraction.
Isadora’s character is an irresistible cranky old lady, who whines about everything, never smiles and is constantly pessimistic, but she is also a force of nature, a manifestation of bravery and maturity that conquers the audience’s affection and respect, although it’s hard not to laugh at the sarcastic expressions provided by her.
Bélgica Castro incorporates this uptight figure with so much perfection, making us fall for her, despite some of her rancorous side. Her impressive performance granted her the Chilean Prize Altazor for Best Actress, while directors Sebastián Silva and Pedro Peirano were named Best Directors. The attribute of this marvelous comedy of black humor and sensibility, is the result of this collaboration between these two Chilean filmmakers, who work well with the material, showing confidence on all the issues discussed, the construction of the familiar and eccentric characters, their authenticity in style and language, the claustrophobic tension throughout the narrative and of course, the sarcasm. The directors bring us to this dysfunctional family’s gathering as witnesses, introducing their distant and cold relationship, their unusual behavior and their move to solve the matter, the disagreement and tumultuous disorder, on a brilliant humorous and darkly funny path, also moving and heartbreaking. The directors prove their tasteful talent, with this refreshing and promising family story, conceiving a small cinematic masterpiece. (Runs August 20-26 at MoMA www.moma.org)
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