Tan de repente

I was almost not seeing this film, taking into account the negative comments of another user and the average of 6 it received from IMDB users. I went to the screening at Istanbul Film Festival because we had nothing better to do and left with great contentment that only a sincere, non-pretentious and lean film as this could provide. it reminded me of jarmusch's "stranger than paradise" with it's close to life approach. characters are real, acting is very good. it introduced me a fresh, new director from Argentina.

'Tan de repente' (Suddenly) is wrongly considered a landmark in the so-called 'New Argentine Cinema'. Who establishes those landmarks? Certainly a bunch of foreign critics and festival prize-givers with a weakness for art-house films, especially if they come from third-world (poor) countries. This one suits them perfectly; it comes from Argentina (country that has been a lot in the map recently due to its huge economic crisis), it is shot in grainy black and white, it contains some raw dialogue, a realistic though stylized look (the image treatment reminds of the superior Stranger than Paradise) and some extreme nudity. The perfect cocktail. But to be honest with it, the film is dull as a film can be and has some of the most abominable performances seen recently on screen. The unimaginative ultra-slow pace, divertive storytelling and the keenness of portraying the ugly from a low point of view doesn't help either. Lerman's film may fool a good few abroad, with its exasperating still photo of country skies, high-tension wires and rear-view mirrors, but ultimately cannot hide the director's inability to reach any standard of storytelling. It is a pity that this is the kind of argentine film commercially released internationally, for the embarrassment of argentinians abroad and the regular filmgoer.

This is one of those movies you unintentionally discover and like. At least it is how i got to see Suddenly (Tan de repente). A friend who speaks Spanish and who traveled through South American countries invited me to see it. Being open for such experiments i went along and was pleasantly surprised.

Suddenly (Tan de repente) that would change the history of cinema or your percption of life, but it is a fine movie. The fact that i write this review more than five years after watching it, while still remembering some scenes, speaks to its favor.

My friend warned me that there are specific social and cultural peculiarities of South America that make this movie realistic. However, i think this remark was unnecessary. Suddenly (Tan de repente) speaks to the audience on a very basic, human, level.

Two lesbians Mao and Lenin kidnap a shop girl Marcia and take off with her in a taxi. Before too long Marcia goes along with things including having sex with the Mao? (one of the lesbians).

This grainy black and white film has no interesting story no cinematography to speak of and no acting! This is the kind of film that might come out of a college class.

Save yourself the trouble and money and rent some good Argentine movies like The Aura or Live In Maid or Intimate Stories...vastly better than this ?? term project at a junior college.

Do not recommend.

Surprisingly fresh, frank and lively film comes from Argentine, a gloomy country in terrible political, economical and ethical state. In his feature debut brave young man Diego Lerman has shown excellent knowledge of psychology of the youngsters who found themselves in hopeless situation. From the perspective of a Bosnian spectator, whose reality is not far from Argentinean, and having a friend there I know very well how similar are our lives, the story seems exceptionally convincing and realistic.

Two lesbian punks, Mao and Lenin (their nicknames could be a separate story!), hassle an unhappy chubby girl with shocking, direct sexual invitation. Poor Marcia, threatened with a knife, is being kidnapped «in the name of love» and her life turns upside-down in a flash. Her boring, monotonous world suddenly becomes an exciting, unpredictable and sometimes even scary adventure. Development and transformations of the characters are done marvelously and black and white division of between them in the beginning of this black and white film gets newer, richer spectrum and wider variety of gray shades. What looked like a funny on-the-road film in its beginning slowly becomes a drama. Widening the focus from three teenage girls to the characters of different generations and occupations shows that nothing is as simple as it looks at the first glance. Special credits go to the old Lenin's auntie whose appearing brings genuine, sincere and deep emotions.

I am not sure whether flattering comparison with Jim Jarmusch's films gains the point. You cannot say there was nothing «Jarmuschian» in this film (i.e. fabulous scene when five characters sit together around the table after the aunt has died), but it is far from copying the probable hero. With his clear expression an evident messages, Lerman cuts deep into the womb of a society. The simple fact he sees the way out of crises in connecting, understanding and supporting within family and friends is so human and well meant. Should you see this film? You bet!