Un oso rojo

What can I say about a film from one of the best filmmaker of the last decade in Argentina? The answer is: ALL. Caetano is a master, but in Un oso rojo only shows that he can manage a cinematogrephic language in an easy way, and that he can build an story with only two or three good ideas. Chavez is like Al Pacino, or better, like Beat Kitano: he goal one of the best interpretation of the argentinian history. A must see for thriller fans.

"Un oso rojo" is an excellent movie because it has a compelling plot, great cinematography/ editing/ sound, a very believable cast, and an outstanding performance by Julio Chavez (lead actor)... his portrayal of "El Oso" as a tough guy with a good heart and a "code of honor" is breathtaking.

But the main reason why you should go see this movie is that you won't find any of the cliches that -sadly- characterized Argentine films: there are no politics, no melodramatic cheesy scenes, no sex, no nudity, no romance!!!...And the trailer is fantastic (I have to admit is the first time I go see an Argentine movie because I was captivated by the trailer).

It's the first time I'm going to talk about an Argentinean movie, and I want to make it right. Adrian Caetano comes from the group of the innovating Argentinean directors that emerged some years ago (Pablo Trapero and others). He did the low budget film "Pizza, Birra, Faso", and then filmed some television series, before he came with the idea for "Un oso rojo", a powerful piece of film-making.

This is one of the most realistic movies I've seen in years. People like the characters in the film really live like that in Argentina. And the reason because the main character, Oso, has to do the things he doesfor his family, it's because that's the only way he can manage to help them. He can't get clean, he can't get a good job. He has just got out of jail, and is trying to make things right. He is madly in love with his daughter, Alicia. In one scene, the camera shows a tattoo Oso has, that says "Alicia" inside a heart. His daughter asks him: "Can that be taken away". "No, it can't", Oso says. Alicia replies: "Does it last forever?". "For ever", answers his father.

The other main characters are Natalia, Oso's ex-wife; Sergio, Natalia's actual husband; and El Turco, an old man that owes Oso 4000 "pesos". Then we see the characters wandering in their reality, and it shocks. It shocks to see a father with his daughter in the park, and a woman thinking the father is a stranger. Alicia seems to love her father too, although he keeps lying to her to hide a reality she could know. When Oso gets a job as a Car Driver, he's driving her daughter to school, and she asks: "Is this car yours or you stole it?". She's not stupid, and Agostina Lage shows it in a very convincing performance for a 9-year old girl. Natalia, Oso's wife; she was in love with him, once, not now. Soledad Villamil, a well-known Argentinean actress, plays the role naturally and speaks like her character should. Then there's a television and movie actor, who always does the same character; at least in my opinion. Luis Machín does it again here, playing Sergio, and it suits him great, in the role of a morally destroyed man.

Julio Chávez has the best performance anyway. So strong and powerful, and real; as the whole movie. Honestly, the movie is about him; with his deep feelings, with his love for his family. He would do anything for them; he shows it. It doesn't matter when, how, but he would risk everything. His performance was recognized with the most prestigious awards; and he deserved them all, because he did it superbly. It's in his eyes where you discover a truly focused performance.

The script is real and short. I mean, people don't speak much. The script doesn't need to go deeper, we understand it as it is, because the people in the movie can't talk with deep words; and that's how real it is. Because of the actors, Adrián Caetano has directed the film correctly. The movie has some flaws in terms of edition, but it is not noticeable. Together with "Historias Mínimas", "Un oso rojo" was the best film of 2002 in Argentina.

There are things people should know. In a scene, when Oso is trying to figure out what to do with his daughter, his chief talks to him a guy that works with them and lost his daughter: "Sometimes, if you want the best for your family, you have to stay away"

Julio Chavez as the Red Bear is a less neurotic Tony Soprano. He's not a mob man, nor does he have a "family" to run, but he is a family man every bit as much as he is a killer.

In fact, other than the brief shootout that shows us why the Bear did a stretch of time right after his daughter's first birthday, the first hour and fifteen minutes of the movie are an intense, moving family drama involving four characters, all brilliantly acted: the Bear, his daughter, her mother, and the weak-willed loser the daughter and her mother now live with.

I could go on about how deftly the film portrays all these inhabitants of a seedy but still charming part of Buenos Aires—people barely getting by, people mostly on the wrong side of the law—but this story is squarely centered on the Bear. Again like Tony Soprano, he has a solid physical presence in every scene—a manly grace and style—even when he's doing something as simple as drinking a glass of beer or smoking his ever-present cigarette. He is dignified, never rushed, as he moves through his world, and yet he reacts with lightning swiftness when threatened or attacked. This is not a man to mess with, that's for sure.

This is not a thriller: it's an emotionally rewarding tale about family and violent crime. It's so perfectly structured, not only will you admire every scene as it unfolds, but in the end you will draw a deep breath of satisfaction at how well they all work together to tell the story. And the music, including the stirring national anthem of Argentina, is gorgeous! Even a children's story about how flamingos got their red legs seems to resonate with this tale of blood relationships—and blood money.

Last but not least, the final shootout is an instant classic: I watched it three times, that's how cool it is.

Don't miss this flick.

It is a standard movie enhanced by the performances and some dialogs. 'El oso' comes out of prison after having been convicted for armed robbery and homicide , and finds his wife and 10 years daughter in a new family with Sergio. Sergio isn´t passing good times, unoccupied and with debts.

The love of 'El oso' for his daughter becomes almost an obsession, as the idea of repair the time not passed together. 'Is it true you killed a cop?' she ask him. 'Of course is not true. That's a very bad thing to do', is his answer. And he try to collect the money of a previous robbery from some old colleagues. 7/10