[OP - 2005] 

ANA Y LOS OTROS (ARGENTINA / 2003) 



The jewels of the Argentine New Wave have finally started to spill over onto our shores, if not in theaters then at least on home video. After the recent DVD releases of the masterpieces from Lucrecia Martel and Pablo Trapero (La ciénaga [2001] and Crane World [1999], respectively), not to mention of the formidable debut of Diego Lerman (Suddenly [2002]), it's now the turn of yet another young Argentinian -- Celina Murga, who made her much heralded debut with Ana y los otros ("Ana and the Others"). The film is a Rohmer-esque tale involving a young woman's journey back to her hometown, and it's the sort of effort in which, as Film Comment's editor Kent Jones stated, "the big picture is inferred from the little details." 

The titular Ana (Camila Toker, who was also featured in Murga's earlier short) is a twentysomething from Buenos Aires who returns to her northeastern coastal city of Paraná in order to sell the family home. But her goal also involves meeting with old friends, especially a former boyfriend who might still be living there. As we observe her casually strolling the streets, it doesn't take her long to come across familiar faces. She eventually meets up with her good pal (Natacha Massera) who's now married. Most of the life-like conversations in the film involve friends trying to scope-out each other; one advises her to settle down, but we get the sense that Ana cherishes her independence, something that unwittingly makes her that much more desirable. A former admirer certainly thinks so, but it doesn't take long for Ana to dispatch him in order to continue searching for the boyfriend. 

A darling on the festival circuit, Ana y los otros is an acutely observed, wonderfully written and acted film which explores the psyche of its protagonist in a very low-key manner; like much of Rohmer's work, this film truly feels as light as a soufflé. And Murga, a twentysomething herself at the time she shot this film, is confident and talented enough to generate interest from her camera lingering on Ana's most mundane activities. There's some wry humor but it doesnt seem forced in any way. Murga seems a bit unsure about how to wrap things up, and there's a hint of preciousness late when Ana meets a young boy, but all in all, Ana, Paraná and the film are as sunny as it gets.