By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Year: 2007
Meanwhile
(Argentina/France; 90 min.)
directed by:
Diego Lerman
starring: Valeria
Bertuccelli, Maria Merlino, Claudio Quinteros |
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Bruce says: “‘Meanwhile’ has two meanings –
‘during the interval’ and ‘at the same time’ – either of which are appropriate
for Diego Lerman’s second feature film (his first, SUDDENLY, was prominent
at GLBT film festivals before getting a general release in 2003). Violeta
(Maria Merlino), the most central of many characters, gets her palm read
and discovers she has not one but two fate lines. This means her life will
change dramatically. But how will she know? The palm reader suggests she
look for signs that might tell her she is approaching a crossroads of sorts.
“Violeta works for a man who has his own restaurant and does some
catering on the side; he is enamoured with her in spite of the fact she
has a husband. Other characters include Violeta’s husband Mono (Claudio
Quinteros) and his friends all of whom are preoccupied with soccer, beer,
tattoos, pizza and casinos. When Violeta’s cousin Eva comes to Bueones
Aires to find work, Violeta gets her a job working for a status conscious
old crone who has two sons. One son, we meet as he lies naked on an examination
table and it looks as though he might be getting an exam for testicular
cancer. The second son is Dalmiro (Claudio Quinteros) a ceramicist who
has stopped creating art and concentrates on more lucrative markets such
as ashtrays. His assistant is a petulant young girl. All these lives overlap
to a certain extent. Add in a psychiatrist and a veterinarian and the
coincidences and confusions are frequent.
“Eva meets a blind man on a bus and helps him get off and head down
the street to his apartment building. Could this be the sign she has been
waiting for? Lerman has a great sense of exactly where the camera belongs
which makes the film much more interesting than it would otherwise be,
given the weakness of the script. Both the sound and film editing are
excellent. MEANWHILE is easy to like but hard to love. 3.5 cats
“(MEANWHILE screened at the 2007 New Directors/New Films festival
co-sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and MOMA.”
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