Whisky

A struggling Uruguayan businessman persuades his equally unglamourous assistant to pretend to be his wife in order to impress his estranged brother. If this conjures up thoughts of 'The Birdcage', or you imagine a riotous South American carnival of a film, you'd best prepare yourself otherwise, for 'Whisky' is characterised by almost exaggeratedly understated acting and a bone dry humour;, and its real subject matter is the psychology of failure. At start, it feels slow, but as one gets used to the characters, one sees more of the joke and sadness in the subtle plot. There are some resemblances to early Jarmusch, but even so, it's questionable whether one can make a wholly successful movie when quite so little explicit happens. In Uruguay, incidentally, they say "whisky" instead of "cheese" when a photograph is taken; but the deeper meaning of the film's title remains elusive at its end.

"Whisky" (the smile-inducing word Uruguayan photographers will use, equivalent to the American "cheeeeese") is probably one of the ten best South American movies in recent years, which is saying a lot, since South America (especially Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay) is producing some of the most interesting films in the world right now.

Jacobo Köller, a terribly lonely middled-aged man, owns a falling-apart sock factory in Montevideo (Uruguay), which now is reduced to barely 3 workers: 2 girls and Marta, Jacobo's supervisor/ secretary, a terribly lonely middle-aged unmarried woman. Both Jacobo's and Marta's lives are plagued by the most painful routine, mirroring the drab, moribund sewing machines at the factory and Jacobo's agonizing old car.

When Jacobo's elderly mother dies, his younger, successful brother Herman, who lives in Brazil, comes to Uruguay to attend the Matzeivah. Jacobo, who has a distant and resentful relationship with his brother, asks Marta if she will pretend to be his wife for a few days so he won't have to cope with his brother all by himself. Marta agrees and this experience will be life changing for her.

"Whisky" is a 3-character movie in which you have 2 opposites that won't move (the two brothers) and one in motion (Marta). We see how Jacobo (the older brother) has trapped himself in rigidity, lack of ambition and shortsightedness. We see how Herman (the younger brother) possesses this most coveted "secret", that is, the ability to enjoy life even in negative circumstances (don't be afraid, he's no Pollyanna). But the film is really about Marta, who slowly realizes there's more to life than be stuck to the same exact routine everyday waiting for decay and death, and that machines and humans function differently.

"Whisky" is also a film about Uruguay, represented here in Jacobo's character. This once prosperous country, a stalwart of democracy, nicknamed "the Switzerland of South America", is now a country in dire need of technological updating, of restoration of its architectural treasures, and of serious political planning and execution of its economic and social future, and is paying high stakes for decades of unrealistic labor legislation and the aftermath of a traumatic dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s. To prepare the future, one must take care of one's past, but also be prepared to bury the past when necessary (like the brothers have to bury their mother). There are no easy solutions.

The film is never obvious or boring, has a slow but skillful pace perfectly in tune with the characters' rhythms, and has a very becoming change of sets when the 3 characters go to a decadent seaside resort, Piriápolis, which is decisive for Marta's transformation. The editing is precise and the music well employed. The acting is no less than superb, all three actors OWN their characters and modulate in the subtlest ways, thanks to masterful script and direction. Of course, those characters have to be played by middle-aged actors with no face-lifts or botox, so a Hollywood remake is out of the question!

The warmest bravo, though, must go to the directors' choice of art direction and locations: they are priceless! Every location in this movie (the factory, the resort hotel, the Jewish cemetery, the soccer stadium, etc), every set, every decadent prop, sewing machine, car, table, elevator, computer, clock, typewriter, lamp, glass, telephone, radio or TV set, everything is both an incredible memorabilia of a "temps perdu" and a symbol of a technology long surpassed, "misfit", dead.

Perhaps the most original feature in "Whisky" is the way the film portrays Jacobo's character. We witness his total lack of ambition and real productivity, his overlook of labor rights (his employees work 12 hours daily!), his inability to perform the simplest tasks like washing dishes, having his car repaired or using an electric drill, and we initially tend to feel sorry for him, because he's apparently so harmless, helpless and unaggressive. But as the film unfolds, we see how his stubbornness may in fact be a sign of stupidity, how indifference can trigger sexism and fascism, how resentment turns into inflexibility, shortsightedness into blindness, and conformity into paralyzing rigidity, we realize this is one of the most appallingly cruel, believable and poignant movie characters in a long time. It's the humane but reckless portrait of a man who, by sticking to the past and refusing to change, contradicts the very essence of life itself: movement.

If you're in the mood of a sensitive, subtle, richly rewarding movie, don't miss this one - and it can be a life lesson too! My vote: a solid 8,5 out of 10.

There's much to appreciate, and yes the repetitive nature of much of the film (perfectly represented by the whirring of the machines in the factory) is part of its allure and yet...in some respects I can't disagree with those who hurled horrible ratings at this film. It IS tedious. That doesn't mean it's not worth watching, but I have to admit it's hard to give boundless kudos to something that barely keeps your attention at times. I've never seen a film where the same things that make it brilliant, also make it dull and hard to watch.

Another reviewer's summary of this Uruguayan film is 'the psychology of failure' and I think that is probably a perfect description. This film is so subtle and understated that the vein of humour that runs through it - sardonic, dry and immaculately observed - will pass many people by. The mundanity of life, and the failure of some to see the fact that moments of happiness and relief can be wrestled from such an existence only by those with the vision and desire to do so, is reinforced by strands deliberately left untied. This film won't be for all tastes, but for those with the patience to watch beyond a slow (but necessarily so) opening act, it will prove to be a film worth watching.

This movie is a true gem. Perhaps not for everyone, but those who can appreciate subtle, sensitive films will not be disappointed. In fact, subtlety is the keyword in this film. Nothing is spelled out, nobody even raises his voice, and still the story is full of emotion. It's all about small gestures and unspoken words. Take the way the viewer initially discovers that Hernan is richer and more successful than his brother Jacobo. There's nothing about Hernan's clothing or his behaviour that suggests this, but Jacobo suspects that the pair of socks his brother gave him are more expensive than the pair Jacobo gave his brother. The movie is packed with these kind of small signals, and that is exactly its strength, together with the superb acting and the nice locations (the soccer stadium!). In that way, the movie is comparable to Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki's style.