User reviews

As many genius, David Lynch created his own forerunners. Robert Wiene (Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), Tod Browning (Freaks) and Herk Harvey (Carnival of Souls) are some of them. Traces of David Lynch's trademark can be easily found in the movies above. But is very surprising to find a much less known director, Leonardo Favio, who was anticipating Davids Lynch's atmosphere and characters in Argentina, in the early '60s. It is amazing because Lynch couldn't know his work. `El dependiente' (the salesclerk) is the ultimate demonstration of how sharp and how close to Lynch's nightmares Favio was able to reach. Favio surpass the bizarre and the hallucinatory and creates a disturbing story with an incredible ending, more effective than many Lynch's endings. It is difficult to describe a movie like this, but is even more hard to find it, so it will remain as a hidden treasure, a piece of art sunk in the night of times, waiting for an unlikely redemption. 10/10

It's sad that there is only one review for this movie. It's a very good review but there should have been more. I watched it a few days ago, i don't think it's some kind of masterpiece or a hidden gem but this os a very good movie which cinephiles will like it, at least.

So, i agree this is a "proto-Lynchian", David Lynch fans will embrace this movie. Eerie atmosphere, lurking mysteries, a sense of threat, it's not that surreal to alienate you, it's a simple story at first, but as it progresses, it's getting more puzzling.

The ending was very strong, i didn't see it coming. Unfortunately, it was also too ambiguous, at least for me. Some people will appreciate it though, especially those who love open to interpretation movies. In any case, this is one of movies that when they end, you're searching in the web to find out what other people think about it. And that's definitely something positive.