El aura

This is another magnificent movie delivered by director Fabián Belinsky. I found the script captivating enough as to keep me tied to my seat from start to end. But besides, there's another goodie within El Aura, which is the photographic quality together with a pace that without being much too fast, remains still along the whole film -no decay at all-, making it a delight for purists and good quality cinema lovers. I found a couple of minor flaws which stand for the 9 instead of a 10, but they are indeed so minor that they can be perfectly overlooked. Moreover, Oscar Awards nomination should follow, as El Aura has absolutely nothing to envy from the very best Hollywood products. Indeed, film noir as good as it can be. Can't miss it.

El Aura

A few months ago, a true tragedy occurred; and I'm gonna say the same thing many people did. This year, Fabián Bielinsky died of a heart attack at the age of 46 in Brasil, while promoting his second film. A heart attack was the misfortune of one of the great Argentine directors who leaves us two legacies of fabulous film-making: "Nueve Reinas" and "El Aura".

"Nueve Reinas" was a tale of the Buenos Aires reality; a tale of thieves and cops, a tale of honest people and bastards, a tale of being played (conned) in the best existent way. If America didn't watch Bielinsky's original version, they watched "Criminal"; and go check the credits because he is there and if I watched "Nueve Reinas" today, I'm sure I'd feel the same way: Wow!

It took him five years to release his second movie. I don't know when he started writing it, when he finished it and in how many time he shot it, but I know he did a flawless job. A movie like "El Aura", in any other country, is a very good film from Argentina, but for us it's something we've never seen before; something that makes us think and feel.

Argentine cinema is nationalist; it shows our customs, the family life…And that's great, because new filmmakers have the chance of telling real stories and getting to the viewer…But with Bielinsky the line is indifferent; the main character in "El Aura", a taxidermist, could be a person from any part of the world; but he is Argentinean and he goes to the Patagonia on a hunting trip.

What happens during that trip I can't tell, but hint; it's about a robbery Bielinsky's main character always dreamed of, about a dog that represents a lot more than an animal, about secrets told and secrets known, about epilepsy. The taxidermist haves these attacks and the movie begins when he has woken up after having one.

In one occasion, he is asked: "Do they hurt?". "No", he says. "I know when they're going to come; because a few seconds earlier, I feel something…The doctors call it 'aura'…" The explanation which follows that statement is a pure demonstration of the cinematographic language. Because Bielinsky understands the language, he plays freely with it.

His picture is full of silence, but it wouldn't be as good without the shots he achieves while the silence lasts and the facial expressions of the taxidermist; but that's the work of an actor. Ricardo Darín is the most popular actor of our country, but we see him act every time, and the ones who love cinema, know; that today he is also the best actor we have. Just watch him here in the silence, pay attention to his body language; he carries the whole film on his shoulders.

However, the rest of the cast is first-rate. Dolores Fonzi, Alejandro Awada, Jorge D'Elía, Pablo Cedrón, a growing young talent called Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (a cast member of the Argentine adaptation of "Desperate Housewives" Mom!) and a totally unexpected and revealing portrayal by Walter Reyno. The film has been discussed in many ways, because it might mean more than it appears to mean. Don't worry about that, just admire this unique work and then feel happy for it.

Fabián Bielinsky: May you rest in peace.

It's a shame that one of the most talented newcomers of the Latin-American cinema is now dead. Fabian Bielinsky delivers another fantastic movie, written by him, like the amazing "Nueve Reinas – Nine Queens". The lead is once again Ricardo Darin, and this is another proof that this union (Bielinsky-Darin) is unstoppable. The story is about a taxidermist with a great memory and epilepsy.

Ricardo Darin's performance is excellent: quiet, meticulous, and sharp. The movie is quite long, but the ending is perfect. Everything is where it should be. Is particularly original the way that Bielinsky presents the seizures on the lead role: the aura, is a moment of a "mixed up" reality when everything can happen.

Simply fantastic, please dedicate time to see this last job of a very great artist.

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.

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"