Sorry, didn't realise there were already comments for this, but hey what the heck! The more the better.

When is an Argentinian film not an Argentinian film?

When it's Lost Embrace (2003) Directed by Daniel Burman.

This is a Jewish film that just happens to be situated in Buenos Aires. Set in a shopping mall that looks as though it's on the verge of collapse and given an extremely closeted claustrophobic feel by the hand held camera work we follow the main protagonist (Ariel) as characters are introduced around the different shops and stalls. 

Among the traders are an Italian family, a Korean couple and Jewish people who emigrated from European countries at the time of the Holocaust. Ariel works in his mothers shop, his father left for Israel when he was a baby and all he wants to do is to leave Argentina to spend time travelling around Europe where he feels life will have so much more to offer.

Dreams and aspirations aside, Ariel has a deeply held resentment for the father he's never seen. Everything he does know about him has been passed down by his mother, as the film progresses and Ariel seeks family documents to get his passport sorted out, the truth about his father slowly and surely seeps out. 

It's only when his father suddenly reappears towards the end of the film that Ariel comes to realise how much of the truth has been hidden from him down the years but there is little if any anger shown towards his mother for all the lies. Everything slides to a happy end with the family reunited as far as that is possible, as to whether Ariel will follow his dreams of going to Europe, who knows? 

I must say I didn't enjoy Lost Embrace, it isn't because there wasn't exactly much of a story or the performances. No, it was because it was non stop talk, talk, talk from start to end, it is meant to be a light comedy but it felt as though the whole Jewish angle was really overplayed where the cast ended up as stereotypes and caricatures rather than genuine characters. 

If you thought that My Big Fat Greek Wedding was irritating then believe me, you are not going to enjoy this film. It was funny and bearable for around twenty minutes but by the time Ariels Grandmother bursts into song I was wishing I was anywhere except in the cinema. I don't think there was one Argentinian character in the whole film (though the porter may have been) and I found that slightly disturbing, come to think of it, there were hardly any customers either!

So I'm sorry, Lost Embrace did absolutely nothing for me except irritate me.

Cheers Trev.

BBFC rated 15.

Film distributed by Axiom films in the UK.