Une nuit avec Sabrina Love

Always a pleasure to see anything new coming out of Latin America, Argentina is one of the most talented countries when it comes to film production. Una Noche Con Sabrina Love has two of the Spanish speaking world's greatest actresses in Cecilia Roth and Norma Aleandro. Alas, the latter is woefully under-used in a role as a photographer that she fleshes out way beyond its worthiness. Aleandro glows off the screen with sheer star power but essentially has very little to do. Cecilia Roth sinks her teeth into the role of porn star Sabrina Love who gives one night of passion to the virginal seventeen year old Daniel, who writes to her from his small village in the country and wins one night in her arms. With a series of picaresque adventures before he arrives in Buenos Aires, Daniel reconnects with the secretly gay brother he has not seen for three years. Without having read the source material of the book on which this movie is based, one has an expectation that the picaresque adventures will continue. Alas, the story gets bogged down in heavy-handed philosophical discussion that should have been tossed out of the window. This is one very obvious instance in which the screenwriter should have stepped away from the source material. There is a lot of very good acting talent at work here, specifically from the two lead actresses, but as the character of Daniel (ably interpreted by Tomas Fonzi) is the focus of the story, there should have been more opportunity for his character to experience a wider range of emotions. One wonders how Fellini might have handled a coming of age story like this. Not a complete failure, but when the movie has the title One Night With Sabrina Love, one could be forgiven for wanting to see how the encounter between the porn star and the inexperienced young guy would affect her as much as him. It would certainly have given Cecilia Roth a greater opportunity, which she unquestionably would have soared with. An interesting movie with a few disappointing longeurs along the way. Could have been better with a more skilfully written script. Just because the book is good doesn't mean to say that the script should stay faithful.

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.

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.

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.