Review by: Ben Q
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After reading a synopsis of The Aura, I expected to see a slick crime thriller in the style of Ocean's Eleven. What I got was something much more profound. Instead of brilliant schemes to rob huge casinos, which are featured in the film, The Aura focuses on developing Ricardo Darín's unnamed taxidermist character, who suffers from epilepsy. When he is involved in a ironic hunting incident, he becomes embroiled in elaborate plot to rob one of the largest casinos in the area.
Darín gives a stellar performance as a shy man who dreams of being a criminal. While waiting to receive his check at the bank, he visualizes himself robbing the establishment. However, he will not even think of going hunting with a friend. Darín is great at showing the nice-guy taxidermist struggling to remain peaceful while surrounded by violent criminals. Even when one of the angriest felons slaps him in the face and knocks him to the ground, he silently tries to escape without retaliating. Darín delivers every line at a slow, cautious pace, considering every word so as not to offend anyone. There is not much dialogue, so the film relies on Darín's wonderful acting and creative cinematography to move along. Both do their job very effectively.
Dolores Fonzi also gives a powerful performance as the wife of the abusive Dietrich. She is completely naive to the situation, and wanders through the film completely innocent, a woman trying to escape her life.
The film uses shaky, seemingly hand-held camerawork masterfully in close ups of the character. The Argentinian forest backdrop provides beautiful scenery to this grim movie. Bright lighting brings out the colors of ordinary objects like trees and roads, while inside the film is characterized by darker shades. The cinematography gives the film a very natural film, making it seem as if you are in the forest with the characters.
Darín's character is followed by a wolf-like dog throughout the film. The dog acting as a wolf is a symbol of this docile man trying to be something more dangerous. The dog's eyes are two different colors, showing that there are two sides to everyone in the story. A simple hunter turns out to be a criminal, a deer head is hiding a gun, and a cafe turns out to be a brothel. We are not even sure if the events of the film are really happening, or if they are just hallucination induced in the middle of on of the taxidermist's seizures.
I have never seen Bielinsky's Nine Queens, but I am more excited for it now then ever. El Aura is a great film and a great introduction to Argentinian cinema. It is a beautifully shot film with great performances from all the actors, with plenty of room for interpretations. El Aura deserves much more recognition in America than it has been given.
(again-an excellent review from Ben. Good for a BOC pass) |
