The good: Great acting, and by people who are not alienating in their attractiveness. One of the best things about foreign movies is that so often the people on screen are not OHMYGOD THESE WHITE TEETH. They’re just people. The story is super-twisty, but in a way that is easy to follow. Also, it incorporates Argentine history with a really light touch. The more you know, I suspect, about what happened during the Peron years, the richer the movie becomes, but it’s hardly a prerequisite. The movie is funny. Especially if you speak Spanish.
The bad: The subtitles are…inadequate. The ending is operatic where the rest of the movie is sort of subtle, so there’s a shift in tone that’s a little jarring. But, it’s a well-earned ending. Even my boyfriend liked it, though I think he would want me to mention that going to the movies is a completely pointless and expensive experience generally. I do not share this opinion, but I respect it in the sense that I am constantly working against it. If his disdain were a river, I would be paddling upstream towards some village called “Let’s Put Beer in the Side-Pocket of My Purse*”.
*We should do this next time.