El aura

El Aura has an interesting idea (man dreams about a big time robbery and gets the chance to do so in an unexpected way) but the way it is all worked out is just too slow. Though the pace does work on some moments, and I do certainly not always mind slow paced movies, it didn't have enough tension for me to keep my thoughts constantly on the movie. The images are nice, I liked the setting, it is well shot and atmospheric, but it seemed to me that the director was too much of a perfectionist with his focus on every separate scene instead of the whole of the movie. Which is a shame, as I think that with about 45 minutes less, I would have liked it a lot more. I certainly don't mind if a shot of a thinking man takes up long seconds but if that happens all the time, with about everything that's going on, well, I know the game and it looses it's strength to me.

The script itself was also not always very believable. I'll not go into details, but the reality of the story definitely had it's flaws.

All together it was disappointing, because the potential is certainly there. If the silence would have been used only in certain parts and less in the rest of the movie, and parts of the script would have been just a bit more believable, it would have worked better for me. I know I will get down rates for this review, as most people seem to be totally lyrical about it, but I just can't make anything more of it. Slow is great if there is a lot of tension. In this case, there were too many scenes were slow was used without that needed tension.

Maybe I watched it with too high expectations. I'll still give it a 7 out of 10 because it was good enough to not give it anything less, but I might change that (to a lower number) depending on if the movie stays with me or simply fades away in my memory. It was a good try, with some beautiful shots and great moments, but really.... not thát special, and definitely overrated.

From the director of "Nueve Reinas", here it comes his new piece of work you won't forget.

As soon as it begins, you will applaud every Darin's gesture, while you get immersed in the plot as you follow a shy epileptic taxidermist who dreams about a perfect theft, and all of the sudden gets the chance to make his dream come true. Don't let your aura put you aside the screen, you could miss valuable details as the action moves on. Take a deep breath, sit at the edge of your seat, and let Bielinsky do his job.

A perfect script, superb acting, and wonderful Argentine landscapes make this movie a "must see" for everyone.

Fabian Bielinsky's sudden death gave me an incentive to write these lines. Since the first time I watched "El aura" (The aura) -three times by now- I was touched by an awkward, strange feeling. ¿What was about? A story of a zombie, a man who is not aware about his own death (This is not an spoiler, nothing to do with the plot). In a way, it was the same thing I felt watching "Carnival of Souls" (Herk Harvey 1962). These movies are not only about ghosts, lost souls, lost people, they were made by them. Ricardo Darin's character is Bielinsky himself: had he the feeling about his impending end? If you didn't know anything about this weird tale, take a look of it. Some people complain about its pace, the story, the absolute lack of sense of humor. And they compare El Aura with Nine Queens, the other Bielinsky's movie. In my point of view Nine Queen is a nice, frivolous exercise, but once and for all, "El aura" is a whole new game, a different stage. If you are in the right mood, it will take you to another world, the world from Bielinsky was making this film, near his own end.

I've enjoyed "Nueve Reinas" very much, so I've eagerly awaited Bielinsky's next film, with satisfaction Í could say that the waiting was worth paid. "El Aura" from my point of view is excellent, a classical film noir movie, but in the woods, it's atmosphere claustrophobic even wile the action was shot in the wild, and Darin's performance outstanding. I recommended it. But if you don't like that kind of pictures, please don't go thinking in "Nueve Reinas" this one is quiet different, less joyful and more dense, its end is like coughing in a room full of smoke. "El aura" leads you throw its atmosphere with a slow pace, descending to the deepest basement of the characters soul where everybody hides a secret ready to be released.

In Buenos Aires, the epileptic taxidermist Esteban Espinosa (Ricardo Darín) is a painstaking man that likes to plot the perfect heist. When his wife leaves him, he accepts the invitation of his friend Sontag (Alejandro Awada) to hunt in a forest. They rent a cabin owned by Diana Dietrich (Dolores Fonzi) and her husband Carlos Dietrich (Manuel Rodal) but soon they have an argument and Sontag returns to Buenos Aires. Esteban stays alone and while hunting a deer, he accidentally kills Dietrich near a shed. Esteban opens the shed and finds a plan for the heist of an armored truck. When he returns to the cabin, he stumbles with the criminals Sosa (Pablo Cedrón) and Montero (Walter Reyno) that are seeking out Dietrich. Now Esteban has the chance to execute the perfect crime he has dreamt on.

"El Aura" is a weird and original film with an intriguing story, beautiful cinematography and environment and good acting. Unfortunately there are unnecessary details, such as why Esteban is epileptic since it does not affect the story. The conclusion is also disappointing with Esteban's fantasy coming true but he just returning to his routine life. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Aura"