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One of Argentina's most expensive films is a really horrible one, where *NOTHING* works well.

The script is extremely boring and predictable, with absolutely no turns as you'd expect in the genre (film noir) it is trying to emulate.

The period reconstruction serves NO purpose to the story other than allowing a couple of characters to wear hats. They could have shot it as happening in 2007 and there would not be any difference. Peron, Eva and their politics are mentioned in passing but they play little to no role in the movie.

Darin is horribly cast as the main character. His character is often referred as "The Kid", which makes you think that the character was thought and written for someone in his early eighties, and not in his late forties. It becomes hilarious at one point when a seventeen year old calls him "kid".

Julieta Diaz, who is a mildly attractive and interesting woman, fails completely like the "femme fatal". She lacks the curves, sensuality, acting and good dialog that made, for example, Kim Bassinger's character in LA Confidential such a classic. Peretti starts really ridiculous with some of the most horrible lines in the film but it is the only of the title characters that manages to save face by the end.

The photography is competent but nothing to write home about. There's also several shots that look badly lit and like they were done on video.

The soundtrack is an extremely over the top melodic score that would fit perfectly in any soap opera and makes no sense here.

For those speaking Spanish, another oddity is that all characters speak to each other too respectfully, never calling themselves by name (but by using "usted", "señor" and their last names). This is even true with those that are clearly old friends. While there's no doubt that in older times there was much more courtesy when speaking, the diction used in this movie becomes ridiculous very quickly.

Finally, as far as the title of the movie (The Signal) goes.... everybody will be left wondering, as at no point it becomes clear what that signal is.

Pino Solanas is a controversial figure in Argentina due to some of his political views, which have a clear left-wing and socialistic (if not communistic) tendencies.

Regardless of this, it is worth recognizing than in this film, Solanas achieves perhaps his best movie, while creating one that is extremely important to the Argentinian citizenship and which should be an almost obligatory part of the teachings in school (and of every Argentinian government official!).

This film, considered the last part of a trilogy that Solanas began with "Memorias del Saqueo", can easily be seen individually. Contrary to his other two films, which pretend to become a historical document of the the financial and social crisis in Argentina at the beginning of the twenty first century, this film is an optimistic bet to the current and future generations.

His previous movies were shot somewhat poorly (lots of hand-held video cameras), but this film has an excellent production. Solanas shots completely in film, with trips to several different points in the country and visits to national organizations usually unknown by most Argentinians. The film documents both the potential and current technological, mineral, energetic and scientific state in the country with an objectivity and scientific methodology that is laudable.

The film is structured simply and gives an even simpler message: we can also do it here (for Argentina). More explicitly, the film conveys the message that if you are of Argentinean citizenship, you have suffered brain washing propaganda to make you feel inferior to the rest of the world. Propaganda that the film tries to debunk. And it does so very effectively, avoiding the potential for demagogy.

Principally through interviews and visits to different areas of the country, Solanas narrates (very well, I might add) and personally interviews engineers, physicists, workers, researchers and teachers and lets their comments be the ones to guide us and educate us.

It's style is similar to Michael Moore, but much more objective (in this film, at least). There's no cynicism nor publicity stunts like what happens with that other director.

Solanas also attempts to promote an ideological change towards a more socialistic thinking or, at the very least, a less inhumane capitalism. It is perhaps in this point where the film is not entirely successful. There's not a very serious discussion of the problems that brings in the case of an increasingly more open global market or what tools, other than protectionism, can be used to successfully compete against multi national companies.

The film is a tad long and it is something that without a doubt will not be of much interest to those foreign to Argentina's history. However, every Argentinian should be compelled to catch this film. You won't regret it.

Ana y los Otros is the first feature film of Celina Murga, who previously acted as assistant director to Damian Szifron (Los Simuladores). And what a great debut it is. The film's first half is slow and a character study. Mostly random encounters of Anna and previous people that knew her in her life, as she returns to her native city. Yet, in each encounter, we learn a little bit more about Anna, without her whole life story ever been told. We are never told why she's back in Parana, but the film lets the spectator begin guessing. This first half of the first film is pretty depressing as the feeling of displacement and awkwardness is prevalent and may easily turn viewers away. But, it is during her dancing that the movie begins shifting its depressing mood. Suddenly, all the pieces come together, as Anna goes on her final quest. It is the last 30 minutes of the film that, with great subtlety, Murga teaches about love and optimism. What had seemed random shots done by a student director, shows us a brilliant person who has seen a lot of cinema and loves it with a passion. Highly recommended. It may indeed be the birth of a great new Argentinian director.