La tregua

Hector Alterio brings to life Mario Beneditti's novel of the same name. Alterio is a tired and widowed office man, whose life seems to have been wasted and whose age begins to threaten him. He seeks some peace, while he reflects on his past to try to come to terms with it and with his children who are now adults, but still living with him due to economic hardships. The cast includes some of Argentina's best actors (coming from what it's called the Independent theatre movement of the '60s). The movie is not only the story of a man, but a comment on today's office work, with its routine, long hours, jealousy, jokes, romances, etc. The movie could be called an ironic romantic drama.

"The Truce" by the Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti is one of the few novels that can be qualified as "perfect"; no part is superfluous, nothing is lacking, the story is gray and low key but deeply moving. To make a film of a work of this quality is especially challenging; changes and omissions are necessary if only to fit the usual length of a movie. The script by Aída Bortnik and the director Sergio Renán rises to the challenge (the action has been transposed from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, a minor point). Watch the film, then read the book (if possible in the original Spanish).

What makes this movie memorable is the acting (Renan's direction of course has to do with this). Hector Alterio "is" Martin Santomé; after watching him you will find it difficult to imagine the character in any other way (Alterio went on to become a top actor both in Argentina and in Spain). The rest of the cast is equally excellent, especially Ana María Piccio as Laura Avellaneda. The veterans Lautaro Murúa and Norma Aleandro make the most of their small (but essential) parts. The music by Julián Plaza is just right. Very good cinematography by Juan Carlos Desanzo who later directed some celebrated Argentine movies, such as "Eva Perón: The True Story" (1996) and "El Polaquito" (2003).

To my knowledge, there is no Region 1 playable DVD of this movie (not to be confused with a 2003 Mexican version of the same novel). A shame.