Valentin

I didn't suspect this movie to be good, because the dutch producer Laurens Geels produced it and I usually don't like his films. But this one was a sweet surprise! The whole film has this brilliant feel-good-movie athmosphere...and you just don't want this film to end. Rodrigo Noya is one of the most brilliant young actors among us, I was totally crazy about his character. I can't wait to see the next Agresti film! By the way, this is an absolute OSCAR-winner for this year!(or maybe Goodbye Lenin?)mmmmhhhh.....we'll see!

Valentin is one cute, smart-mouthed kid. You can't help but love him, especially in his young Beatles 60s getup. Yes, at times he talks and acts much older than his age, but that's what's intended to make his character so humorous. Valentin is the Amelie Poulin of the Latin younger set, and just as adorable as Kolya, the Cinema Paradiso kid, and the Life is Beautiful kid. And Buenos Aires is displayed beautifully in this movie. If only Valentin was in wider release in the States. No one knows about it, but many would enjoy this very charming, warm-hearted movie, that reminds us of the innocence of our own youth and how we tried to decipher and improve the world in our own small way.

Hollywood filmmakers could learn plenty from this marvelous little film from Argentina.

Rodrigo Noya is utterly charming and captivating as the title character, a 9-year-old boy who builds stuff for astronauts and whose attitude toward life and love is more adult than many of the adults in his life, including his father.

Director Alejandro Agresti's script is clever, humorous and poignant, yet, never becomes maudlin. Even a key moment in the story is deftly handled without an ounce of sentimentality. A Hollywood film most likely would have milked that scene dry with a melodramatic score and character histrionics.

"Valentín" is a celebration of childhood innocence. But it's also about how lessons learned as a young boy shape the adult man he is to become. There are moments in this film written so smartly you appreciate Agresti's talent. For instance, Valentin's scenes with Leticia are funny because of the way the two actors play the scenes so naturally, their dialogue and actions make perfect sense. Or, listen to the conversation between Valentin and his neighbor when they discuss the neighbor's ex-girlfriend over a cup of tea.

And the film's ending? A perfect close to a lovely story. Do yourself a favor and see this brilliant gem.

Valentin, the young boy living in the Buenos Aires of the sixties, is a kid that is more mature than what his tender age shows. He is articulate, wise and knows a lot about the life of the astronauts he hears about. In fact, he has built a lot of facsimiles of the space ships and even has his own version of a space suit.

What Valentin doesn't have is parents. We see him living with his older grandmother in a residential area of the capital. There isn't much money, so their lives are not exactly what one might call it even middle class. Yet, the grandmother is a loving woman that cares intensely for her little charge. It's never clear what happened between the parents, but it appears Valentin's mother was abused by the womanizer husband.

Alejandro Agresti's film, which he also wrote, was shown briefly in a commercial run here, but disappeared quickly, so we never got around to it. It came as a total surprise when it was shown in one of the cable channels in its original version.

The film is worth seeing because of Rodrigo Noya, the sweet Valentin of the film. Valentin is the narrator of the story. He amazes us with the way he looks at things and his understanding of what's going on around him. This young actor made an excellent contribution to the film without ever being bratty. Our hearts go to the poor little boy that fate has abandoned and is even lonelier after the sudden death of the grandmother.

Carmen Maura, as the grandmother, is a joy to watch. She plays a Spaniard who has emigrated to Argentina. Julieta Cardinali is seen briefly as Leticia, a beautiful blonde woman who Valentin would like to be his new mother, hoping his father will marry her. When the relationship ends, Valentin is miserable, but Leticia, seeing the goodness and loneliness of the young boy stays by him. Mex Urtizberea plays Rufo, the pianist neighbor who is kind to Valentin.

"Valentin" was a surprise that brought joy and fun at the same time.

firstly, this is a film rather than a movie; therefore, it appears that the objective is more to offer a discrete perspective to the viewer -- if one is interested in plots twists, car chases or other movie ' magic', it is perhaps advisable to look elsewhere

however, if one wishes to experiences what has to be universally fine acting -- especially by the always pitch-perfect ms carmen maura in a performance which may be surely described as Oscar-worthy -- a compelling study in inter- /intra-personal relationships and an opportunity to see the world differently after viewing : decease looking & enjoy what has become one of my favorite films

lacking experience or credentials in film criticism, i refrain from attempting to offer pretentious pseudo-critique; that being stated, just one of the aspects of the film i appreciated was a presentation of the heretofore little known personally topic of Argentinian jewry

further, this film elicited empathy for ostensibly unsympathetic characters reminding one that ' walking a mile in the shoes ' of others is still perhaps the best way to understand them