La Paz

Inside the mind of ... might have been a good title too. The portrayal of the main character is really good. It might make you feel uncomfortable and you can't judge him like a normal person either. But the performance is more than compelling. The story might feel simple but you can obviously read a bit more into this.

As part of the Berlin International Festival this movie did hit a nerve with the audience. It's a fine acted drama that plays out right and feels right too. Actually that's not entirely true, because it also feels wrong. Especially when the main character seems to go over the edge again. But it is coherent with what the movie is telling us.

Liso is a man in his late twenties (the name Liso is probably a nickname for Lisandro). In the first scene we see him leaving a psychiatric clinic. He goes to live with his parents in Quilmes, a town 17 kilometers southeast of Buenos Aires fronting the vast River Plate. We never know the reasons for his internment, although there are hints later in his exchanges with neighbors.

Interaction with his parents is strained. His mother seems to be committed to Liso's recovery and well being, but sometimes treats him like a child. His father, a successful businessman, has a rather cold, distant relation with Liso and his mother. He tries to occupy Liso's time with manly pursuits such as practicing pistol shooting at a firing range, not a prudent choice. The only two people with which Liso can relate naturally are his grandmother (living nearby) and Sonia, the family's Bolivian maid.

The theme of the movie is Liso's uneasy and unsteady search for an equilibrium in his life, which (although possibly temporary) he may have found at the end.

La Paz is a cross section of life, a seemingly simple film of unusually short length (73 minutes). We only know what we witness; there are no explanations or flashbacks. As in real life, we never learn the whole story.

Argentinian Santiago Loza directs fluidly his own spare and concise script, supported by excellent cinematography by Iván Fund. Acting is first rate all around. As a bonus we get to see some fascinating views of La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, the highest capital in the world, located in a bowl-like hollow and surrounded by the majestic mountains of the Altiplano. A superior film.