Citoyen d'honneur

Thomas Wolfe once wrote that we can never go home again. He meant that we could not go back to a time when home was the same as it is in our memories. Homes change, cities change, people change; everything changes. That is the theme of the wonderful Argentinian film " The Distinguished Citizen". It is a well-written, well-directed, and well-acted film about trying to go home again, and the ultimate impossibility of accomplishing a goal that meets our memories. I generally do not like films about writers; and I particularly loathe films about writers with "writer's block" because there is no such thing. A writer writes, all the time, and never has enough time to write about all the things he or she wants to write about. I am a writer. I have several books on Amazon. I could never stop writing. A real writer never stops writing for any reason. But this film does not really center on writer's block; it is about trying to recapture one's past. And of course, the protagonist is doomed in his quest. The film goes on to show us why. If you are a successful writer, people will be jealous and try to discredit you. If you are an unsuccessful writer, people will encourage you and give you more credit than you deserve. Writing is too important to be left to the uninspired. The acting is first rate and I recommend this film highly.

Black comedies are a difficult movie genre. They have to get the tone exactly right, otherwise they are either not funny enough or too much over the top. In this respect, 'El ciudadano ilustre' is perfect. It's understated enough to be subtle, and surreal enough to make you laugh. It has this quality in common with that other Argentinian surprise from three years ago, 'Relatos Salvajes'.

'El ciudadano ilustre' is about a Nobel-prize winning author living in Spain, who decides to accept an invitation to become honorary citizen of his hometown, a sleepy backwater in the south of Argentina in which all of his novels are set. At first, it is unclear why he decides to accept this invitation, and only in the final minutes of the film this question is more or less answered. This nice twist at the end is the cherry on the cake.

The author, used to being admired and praised everywhere he goes, has to adapt to the less sophisticated way of life in his hometown. Already during the drive from the airport, he is in for a surprise. The car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and he is forced to tear his latest novel apart in order to use the pages for lighting a camp fire. It's symbolic for the lack of respect the local people have for his novels. Some of them are not extremely enthusiastic about the way their town is portrayed.

His visit starts a series of unexpected events, in which art, sex, violence and local politics play a part. But the film's bizarre story line is not its only quality. Above all, it's the way the local community is shown. In one small scene, the author is sitting on a street bench when an old man appears from a nearby house to bring him a cup of the Argentinian drink 'mate'. He drinks in silence, returns the cup to the man, who re-enters the house. End of scene.

'El ciudadano ilustre' is a wonderful film, highly recommended for anyone who likes understated humor and surreal situations.

Being an Argentine (sans the Nobel prize as the main protagonist achieved) away from Argentina for over 43 years I could totally relate to the topic of this movie. I liked the main character in how clear he is about his convictions, his work, his principles and how all of this clashes against the bureaucracy, guilt, jealousy which awaits for him when he comes home... The movie is a great study of change and lack of change. His travel brings him perspective and intelligence ... The main character is a writer who forces himself to go back to his birth place and finds a world which has not changed and which projects onto him what they want him to be. This may happen to many of you writing when you go back home after not being there for a while... this movie is an extreme case of that: going back from a first world to the third world he came from. (Not Buenos Aires but a small town 500 miles from B.A.)

This is how a movie should be like. every moment of this was meaningful and the cast were chosen perfectly. It should be even watched twice.

Few movies have achieved to be as visceral and deep as this one. Without failing to keep your eyes on the screen until the last scene, besides making you laugh, panic and hold your breath countless times, A Distinguished Citizen questions the role of the artist, his ethics and his commitments. Mantovani, the main character, confronts his origins and his own creatures face to face, outside the artificiality of his new life as an European and a very well-succeeded writer. What comes from there is the source of his art emerging again: in the mediocrity of the Latin American little town's facts (and his repercussion on them), the whole system of art comes into question. Is the writer really able to stand for what he believes in and what has earned him a Noble prize? Should the artist violate real people in order to make his art relevant? This movie proves itself consistent with its plot by providing sturdy answers instead of falling into mere nihilism or sarcasm.