समाचार

Empire Pictures

NEW YORK -- Argentine filmmaker Diego Lerman's debut begins straightforwardly with the abduction of a young Buenos Aires sales assistant. But he soon jettisons genre elements in favor of exploring his characters' hopes, sexual desires and insecurities. Some raw performances, good use of sound and image and an attention to detail add up to a realistic-looking film that holds the attention throughout.

"Suddenly" doesn't have a built-in marketing angle and will need supportive reviews to attract an urban art house audience. A lesbian element may help with a niche gay audience, though it's too broad a character study to be pigeonholed as a gay film. Empire Pictures released the film here at Film Forum on Aug. 27, followed by screenings at select national venues.

The film begins when spiteful lesbian Mao (Carla Crespo) and her quietly vicious partner Lenin (Veronica Hassan) force overweight sales girl Marcia (Tatiana Saphir) to abscond to the beach with them for a sexual tryst. But during the journey out of Buenos Aires, frumpy Marcia quickly proves she's not afraid to stand up to her snarling abductors.

When they reach their coastal destination -- which turns out to be Lenin's aunt's house -- the film slows down to allow the characters' vulnerabilities to dribble out. Marcia discovers that she's made of stronger stuff than she imagined, and isn't averse to the occasional lesbian coupling. The domineering Mao reveals herself to be a mass of insecurities, while ice-cool Lenin casually drifts back into family life.

The abduction and journey is conventionally handled, and plot and characters are established in a neat textbook manner. But as soon as the trio hit the beach, things become more freeform. The girls meet a number of new characters, and director Lerman follows their individual adventures, which range from shoplifting to seduction. They gradually take on broad human personalities, and the film consequently becomes richer with each scene.

Lerman takes a neo-realist approach and instills his film with a gritty natural power. Sound details like an onion being chopped on a chopping board accentuate this down-to-earth approach, while the black-and-white cinematography (by Luciano Zito and Diego Del Piano) is similarly precise. First-timer Lerman shows a good knowledge of the mechanics of cinema and an encouraging desire to experiment.