As the story begins, we are invited to a birthday party. Maria del Carmen, the lady of the house is seen putting the final touches to everything. Little does one know it is a party to honor her. She is surrounded by a her own family, and friends. Bringing a plate to the table, she misses putting it on the table, breaking it. Picking up the pieces, Maria discovers she has an ability for reassembling the plate, bringing it to its original shape.
Maria is a fifty something housewife in a suburb of Buenos Aires. Her husband, Juan, and two grown sons, complete the household. Juan shows all the traces of being a macho man, finding fault with the fruits Maria serves him for dessert. The boys, who must be in the early twenties are planning to leave home. Juan and Maria still enjoy a healthy sex life, something that in other couples of the same age might have died completely.
One of Maria's birthday presents is a jigsaw puzzle. She is intrigued by the Egyptian female figure adorning the cover of the box. Maria has no trouble solving the picture. Her interest is piqued when she discovers an ad for someone to participate in training for the game, leading for a national tournament. That puts her in touch with Roberto, an elegant man of means who realizes the potential in Maria as a puzzle solver. In order to meet her new friend, she lies to Juan about a sick aunt recuperating from an operation.
Roberto and Maria begin solving together. He has hundreds of those boxes in a room of his house. Maria is skeptic, at first, but she finds a soothing atmosphere by putting all the pieces together. Juan, who is not aware of what is happening, notices the change in his wife, beginning to resent Maria for her new pastime. At the same time, Roberto insists they become a team for the international competition which will be held in Germany, something that Maria will never be able to do. At the same time, Roberto has fallen under the spell of Maria's gentleness, something he is lacking in his own life.
This film was a rare treat when it showed recently on a cable channel. First time director Natalia Smirnoff, closely associated to some of her country's leading film creators as a casting director, surprises with a film that shows a talent that must be recognized. Ms. Smirnoff wrote the screenplay for the film. It is obvious she knows these people. Her story is a sobering account of a middle age woman who is somewhat taken for granted by a husband with whom she has shared many years of marriage. Now, at a time when she and her man are facing an upcoming retirement, she finds fulfillment in a game for which she has a natural talent.
Maria shows signs of boredom with the way her life has turned out. Discovering a game she knows nothing about, is a way for her to get involved in things that are not household related. Meeting Roberto gives her an opportunity to continue getting better at a game where she excels. Roberto, a lonely man, sees in Maria a kind soul, but he shows restrain in the way he shows how he feels toward her. Maria finds herself in a position where she is not able to decide what is best for her, although ultimately, her own common sense brings her back to reality.
One could not think of another actress but Maria Onetto playing Maria. Ms. Onetto underplays her character, giving a performance that will long be remembered. Gabriel Goity is Juan, the husband who is still in love with Maria in spite of his own views about the place of a woman. The excellent Arturo Goetz is on hand to give life to Roberto, the professional player who takes an interest in Maria. Barbara Alvarez, the cinematographer captures both Maria's home, in sharp contrast with Roberto's more opulent residence. The music score is by Alejandro Franov.
We congratulate Ms. Smirnoff for a magnificent first film, hoping her talent will be recognized and we expect new ventures from her.
Maria is a fifty something housewife in a suburb of Buenos Aires. Her husband, Juan, and two grown sons, complete the household. Juan shows all the traces of being a macho man, finding fault with the fruits Maria serves him for dessert. The boys, who must be in the early twenties are planning to leave home. Juan and Maria still enjoy a healthy sex life, something that in other couples of the same age might have died completely.
One of Maria's birthday presents is a jigsaw puzzle. She is intrigued by the Egyptian female figure adorning the cover of the box. Maria has no trouble solving the picture. Her interest is piqued when she discovers an ad for someone to participate in training for the game, leading for a national tournament. That puts her in touch with Roberto, an elegant man of means who realizes the potential in Maria as a puzzle solver. In order to meet her new friend, she lies to Juan about a sick aunt recuperating from an operation.
Roberto and Maria begin solving together. He has hundreds of those boxes in a room of his house. Maria is skeptic, at first, but she finds a soothing atmosphere by putting all the pieces together. Juan, who is not aware of what is happening, notices the change in his wife, beginning to resent Maria for her new pastime. At the same time, Roberto insists they become a team for the international competition which will be held in Germany, something that Maria will never be able to do. At the same time, Roberto has fallen under the spell of Maria's gentleness, something he is lacking in his own life.
This film was a rare treat when it showed recently on a cable channel. First time director Natalia Smirnoff, closely associated to some of her country's leading film creators as a casting director, surprises with a film that shows a talent that must be recognized. Ms. Smirnoff wrote the screenplay for the film. It is obvious she knows these people. Her story is a sobering account of a middle age woman who is somewhat taken for granted by a husband with whom she has shared many years of marriage. Now, at a time when she and her man are facing an upcoming retirement, she finds fulfillment in a game for which she has a natural talent.
Maria shows signs of boredom with the way her life has turned out. Discovering a game she knows nothing about, is a way for her to get involved in things that are not household related. Meeting Roberto gives her an opportunity to continue getting better at a game where she excels. Roberto, a lonely man, sees in Maria a kind soul, but he shows restrain in the way he shows how he feels toward her. Maria finds herself in a position where she is not able to decide what is best for her, although ultimately, her own common sense brings her back to reality.
One could not think of another actress but Maria Onetto playing Maria. Ms. Onetto underplays her character, giving a performance that will long be remembered. Gabriel Goity is Juan, the husband who is still in love with Maria in spite of his own views about the place of a woman. The excellent Arturo Goetz is on hand to give life to Roberto, the professional player who takes an interest in Maria. Barbara Alvarez, the cinematographer captures both Maria's home, in sharp contrast with Roberto's more opulent residence. The music score is by Alejandro Franov.
We congratulate Ms. Smirnoff for a magnificent first film, hoping her talent will be recognized and we expect new ventures from her.