Valentin
Release Date:
May 7, 2004
Limited release
Writer and director Alejandro Agresti draws upon his own experiences as a child to bring these film’s characters to life. This coming of age tale is not so different from others we have seen. A precocious youngster is looking for a way to solve his family’s problems.
Set in Argentina in 1969, the film follows nine-year-old Valentin (Rodrigo Noya) in his search for a mother figure to make his life complete and help his family at the same time. However, he doesn’t have much support from other family members, including his father, played by Agresti, who uses Valentin as a way to attract females.
The interactions between Valentin and his father’s companions are one of the highlights of this film. The dialogue doesn’t seem forced as with other child/adult scripting. Valentin draws the audience into the picture and stirs genuine emotions that affect the viewer.
This movie has been seen on the world film festival circuit since its world premiere at the 2002 Nederlands Film Festival. It reached the U.S. in May 2003 during the opening night gala at the Seattle International Film Festival. It was originally scheduled to have a theatrical release in June 2003, but Miramax postponed that date a few times to the currently scheduled May 2004 release.
It was recently announced that this film is Argentina’s official submission for consideration in the Foreign Language category at the 2004 Academy Awards. This confidence by the powers that be in Argentina should bring it more exposure and awareness to potential movie-going audiences. (Marty Doskins/BOP)
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