Intimate Stories (2002)

Synopsis: In the otherworldly expanses of Southern Patagonia, daybreak reaches the charming village of Fitz Roy with a few surprises in stow. “Multicolored Casino”, the popular game show televised out of the... In the otherworldly expanses of Southern Patagonia, daybreak reaches the charming village of Fitz Roy with a few surprises in stow. “Multicolored Casino”, the popular game show televised out of the provincial capital San Julián, has selected Fitz Roy’s own Maria Flores as the next contestant to appear on its live telecast. On the other side of town, Don Justo, proprietor of Fitz Roy’s popular grocery store, California, has just discovered that his long-lost friend Badface has surfaced, alive and well, in San Julián. And, finally, Fitz Roy’s favorite travelling salesman, Roberto, who hits a slight snafu in his quest to impress his most beloved customer, is on the verge of reaching San Julián himself, where the woman of his dreams awaits. About a day’s journey from Fitz Roy, nothing is going to stop Maria, Don Justo or Roberto from reaching San Julián, where Maria has been promised fame, Roberto foresees love and Don Justo seeks redemption. But, getting there is no small task. With her little baby in tow, Maria decides to hop on the bus, a little nervous about the journey ahead, but unwilling to let her chance to star on “Multicolored Casino” slip away. For Don Justo, the journey to be reunited with his old friend promises to be even more challenging, as he hits the road, thumb raised, trusting that the truckers he’s met through the years will stop to offer him a lift. In Roberto’s case, getting to San Julian isn’t the problem - it’s getting there by surprise, with a heartwarming gift that he hopes will make a favorable impression on his secret love. Although the three neighbors begin their journeys making their separate ways, they encounter their share of small detours along the way and, as usual on the deserted Patagonic routes, their stories and dreams crisscross in seemingly free-form patterns at the most remote stopping points. When they finally do reach San Julián, each will discover that more important than fame, or seduction, or a bid for atonement, are the spontaneous acts of generosity that can provide fleeting, yet precious flashes of serenity. In the end, Maria, Don Justo and Roberto will get more or less what they set out for, but it will come to them in ways that they never expected. Carlos Sorin, whose award-winning La Película del Rey (1986) was one of the harbingers of the New Argentine Cinema, returns after a 13-year hiatus with a distinctive blend of bemused satire and gentle humanism in this quirkily comic road-movie. -- © New Yorker Films [More]

Starring: Javiera Bravo, Antonio Benedictis, Javier Lombardo, Julia Solomonoff

Starring: Javiera Bravo, Antonio Benedictis, Javier Lombardo, Julia Solomonoff, Laura Vagnoni

Director: Carlos Sorin

Director: Carlos Sorin
Screenwriter: Pablo Solarz
Producer: Letitia Cristi
Studio: New Yorker Films

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