La antena (2007)

Director:

Esteban Sapir

Writer:

Esteban Sapir (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 April 2007 (Argentina)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Fantastic | Silent Film | Neo Noir | German Expressionism | Independent Film

Awards:

7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Valeria Bertuccelli	...	Son of Mr TV
Alejandro Urdapilleta	...	Mr TV
Julieta Cardinali	...	Nurse
Rafael Ferro	...	The Inventor
Florencia Raggi	...	The Voice
Sol Moreno	...	Ana
Jonathan Sandor	...	Tomás
Raúl Hochman	...	The Mouse Man
Ricardo Merkin	...	The Grandfather
Carlos Piñeiro	...	Doctor Y (as Carlos Piñeyro)
Camila Offerman	...	Fairy Girl
Alejandro Regueiro	...	Silhouette Man 1
Christian Amat	...	Silhouette Man 2
Federico Miri	...	Silhouette Man 3
Paulina Sapir	...	Girl Dressed in White

Also Known As:

The Aerial (International: English title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

Argentina

Language:

Spanish

Colour:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Germany:12 | Poland:15 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | UK:PG | Czech Republic:U | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

LadobleA

Trivia:

It is the second feature film by acclaimed Argentinean director Esteban Sapir.

Allegory on Muteness

I've seen this movie twice on Transilvania International Film Festival(TIFF), the movie is in competition and I really hope that Esteban Sapir will get one of the awards (at least the best image award).

As a silent cinema fan I'm interested in contemporary movies that quote or recreate the language of the yester-year cinema. The previous reviewer emphasized the quotes from Fritz Lang and Fr. W. Murnau. As I see it, the movie references directly Lang's Metropolis, and the allegorical-parabolic character of his plots. But I didn't see Murnau in it. There's a more obvious Melies-homage though: the Moon with a (here cigar-smoking) human face, and the paper-made, painted mountains and city-landscapes. I enjoyed the film mostly for its visuals, and in the meantime I found very interesting the story on muteness, and the creative means of communication used by the inhabitants of the voiceless city. From this perspective this movie is an unique reflexion on the muteness of the silent cinema, because in the films of the silent period one can hardly find stories with mute characters. In this case can be questioned whether the story on the stolen voices was the motivation for the silent film form, or there's an intention to play upon the muteness of the silent films. Another example of this kind of reflexion I found in Guy Maddin's Careful,where the inhabitants of a mountain-village have restrictions in using their voices. I intend to write a paper on it, if you know movies related to this topic, please let me know!!!

I highly recommend Esteban Sapir's film to every moviegoer (one of the critics called it: the jewel of the festival).

PS: Winners were announced, and the film won the award for best cinematography!