Title: Medianeras (Sidewalls)
Director: Gustavo Taretto
Starring: Javier Drolas, Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Ines Efron
The Argentine film, Medianeras, is a subtle telling about the modern twenty-n-thirty somethings who choose, or are forced, to tackle this world on their own. Set in Buenos Aires Federal District, the flick focuses on a man (Javier Drolas) and a woman (Pilar Lopez de Ayala) who are quietly reflecting about their current stature in today’s society inside their quaint apartments. It’s almost as if their having the slowest moving epiphany of all-time. The guy gets by doing web site work in his “shoe-box” floor-plan all while he vicariously lives life through his vast collection of videogame characters. Our attractive female spends her loneliness designing and outfitting mannequins for display in assorted department stores. She actually had a long-term relationship that has somehow assisted her way into isolation in a similar shoe-box layout to that of the random dude.
When the film isn’t following one of the two more-or-less loners, a narrator chimes in as a slideshow depicting the living environment of the local metropolis area goes on display. The pontificating of how living structures and technology for example has changed how we interact and function as human beings acts as summary guide for what the two characters went through in previous and/or upcoming scenes. Thoughts of how the goal of these advance were instituted to bring us together but instead has indirectly put us further apart from one another. When these slideshow narrations pop up, the debate is quite engaging, even though it is in Spanish, so you’re basically reading it. And the subtitles are moving faster than normal, FYI. As the film transitions back to one of the subjects, their present life is mixed in with some flashbacks to try to show where – and why – their heads are at so to speak. Yes the two leads do speak and interact with other people; but if the dialogue was non-existent, a powerful story can still be gathered and understood just by their demeanor and actions.
Many scenes just linger on the two subjects as they just exist in the confines of their shoe-boxes. Though nothing seemingly important is really happening in these sequences, director Gustavo Taretto is insistent on driving the point home that these people are dealing with a form of depression. So he takes the audience into their domains and captures a natural approach of what people may do when they know no one is going to bother them. In other words, it’s how we deal behind closed doors. When they interact with another human, your interest in how they respond keeps on invested in the dry delivery set forth. And eventually the purpose of the story resonates despite it selling out and going with an uplifting ending. Going with a different finale may have extended this review for yours truly would have to wax poetically what it all means. But that’s going to be different for each individual viewer.
Overall, Medianeras is an existential commentary about the balance of reality and hope and how society can affect those elements. There’s going to be dry patches since the realistic approach in the storytelling cannot be compromised. And by sticking through it, a worthwhile thought or two will stimulate your mind.
Technical: B
Story: A
Acting: B
Overall: B
Review by Joe Belcastro
