What We Wanted to Be

This is a story of impossible love. Or unrealized love. Most of the film takes place in a Buenos Aires bar called The Brighton.

A classic book store owner and a literary critic are watching an old black-and-white Hollywood film in an otherwise empty cinema. Later, outside on the sidewalk the critic asks the bookvendor for a light, which is the initial spark of the impossible love story.

They decide to get a drink at a nearby bar, The Brighton. They launch into a role-playing game that seems to last months, or even years. They meet every Thursday night and slowly begin an unconsummated relationship.

There are no special effects, no groovy soundtracks, and no glorious epiphanies. But there is tenderness, sadness, and empathy. There is also an overarching sense of regret on the part of the bookstore owner.

The ending is a little overdone with too much explanation, but otherwise the pace is good. I initially wondered why it was "Lo que quisimos ser" (preterite perfect) instead of "Lo que queríamos ser" (imperfect), but that question was answered in the end.