Une nuit avec Sabrina Love

This is a little snapshot of life in modern Argentina, telling a universal story: the encounters of a young man with the various faces of life, love, sex and death.

Daniel, a 17 year old boy, wins a letter writing contest and gets to spend one night with his idol, pornstar Sabrina Love. For this occasion he travels to Buenos Aires, where he stays at his brother's apartment until he settles a date with Sabrina.

This is somewhat of a roadmovie, moving from the Argentine country to the city and back. Daniel takes some important steps during this trip, which is portrayed in a very warm, sincere way. Even though it does not dig very deep, if you submit yourself to it, you can enjoy the Argentine scenery and the wonderful characters Daniel meets. At some points there have been made very harsh jumps in between scenes, due to lack of time or money (???) but don't let that spoil the fun.

I saw this film at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival last night. The film was a charming commentary on love, sex and growing up in modern Argentina. I had a few problems with the narrative flow as the action starts and stops with no explanation as to how the characters arrived at that point in the story. This seemed less a choice in playing with the narrative structure, and more of mistake on the part of the filmmaker. However, all in all, it was a fun filmgoing experience. My Spanish is somewhat flawed, but even with my poor comprehnsion, I could tell that I was missing some great jokes and other crucial information. I'm sure that my experience would have been better with more accurate subtitling.

I understand the sacrifice made in movies that are a result of adaptations from long novels where the screenwriter needs to cut down a lengthy book into a 120 pages script. It is important to keep the author's spirit and reflect it in the movie. Yet, there might be a scene that needs to be invented for the sake of cinematographic narrative. I don't understand though, the directors (or screenwriters) who feel they must add their own creative philosophical writing to a well rounded novel when this is not necessary. It does not add anything to the spirit of the book and the movie loses focus and direction. It feels patchy. The book, "A night with Sabrina Love" is concise, direct, modern, fresh, entertaining, it is always moving forward and very cinematographic in its nature. It reminds me for some reason I can't pinpoint, to J. D. Salinger, "The Catcher in the Rye". "A night with Sabrina Love" is a prize winning novel by the way. This movie is less than a mediocre adaptation. It feels old, slow paced, unfocused. Having read the book, I can only think of the director's lack of humility while writing the screenplay. Even though I like Alejandro Agresti's work, I feel he was not a good option to direct this movie. It is sad when these kind of things happen.

The main reason for me to watch Sabrina Love was the presence of Cecilia Roth. Cecilia is one of the best Argentinian actresses ever, and one of the more famous too. Every time I see his name among the cast of any movie I go and watch it. And so I did with Una Noche Con Sabrina Love (One Night With Sabrina Love).

"Una Noche.." contains most of latest Argentinian cinema's keys: lost of dialogues, voices over, reflections on life, and freshness. The story is quite simple: Daniel, a young boy from the country (Tomas Fonzi) dreams of meeting his favourite porn star: Sabrina Love (Cecilia Roth). Thanks to some TV contest he finally makes his dream come true: he'll spend a whole night with Sabrina Love. From the moment he wins the contest on we'll witness all the penalties he has to go through to get to Buenos Aires (he's from the inner side of Argentina, he has to travel more than 300 miles, and he's got no money). As you can see the story itself is not that original (as in the most of Argentinian latest movies), but the dialogues and the reflections are something else. Daniel's conflicts and doubts are the main points of "Una Noche...", and maybe you'll identify with some of them.

As for the actors: we got Cecilia Roth and Norma Alenadro, which are two of the more well-known Argentinian actresses; Giancarlo Giannini, one of the most international Italian performers; and Tomas Fonzi, the promising starring of this film.

If you like "Una Noche..." I recommend that you give a chance to "No Sabe/No Contesta", "9 Reinas", "El mismo amour, la misma lluvia", or "Kamchatka". There's something going' on in Argentinian cinema.

My rate: 6/10

The film offers a glimpse into the life of a small town teenager: his routine, ideals, friends & family, and his ultimate fantasy. It also presents the striking differences in Argentina between its dominating capital (where about one third the population of this huge country lives & controls everything) and the rest of the country. Additionally, it is an excellent vehicle for Cecilia Roth (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER), as the much-desired Sabrina Love.

Daniel Montero, a seventeen year old, he enjoys his nocturnal rite: to watch the program of the ultimate porn star. So, when he wins the contest to spend a night with Sabrina, he feels he has struck gold. Sabrina awaits him in her TV studio in Buenos Aires. Daniel starts his journey from the isolated town where he lives with his grandmother since his parents died. His life is boring; he has a disgusting job. In his journey, Daniel discovers the world and finds himself in a hazardous and eventful life, with a gallery of men helping him to grow through wisdom, and mischievous advice & lies, a young woman who seduces him, and of course Sabrina, her producers and her colleagues in the porn industry.

It's a fascinating look at many aspects of a teenager's life, and self-discovery in this new era in South America. Also for Ms. Roth, the international award-winning actress known for very heavy dramatic roles, this film is a complete about face. She proves to be just as adept in comedy as she is in drama.