Valentín (2002)
Also known as "Valentin"
Cupid just turned eight.
Starring: Carmen Maura, Rodrigo Noya, Juliet Cardinali, Alejandro Agresti, Jean Pierre Noher, Mex Urtizberea, Fabían Vena, Carlos Roffé, Lorenzo Quinteros, Stéfano Di Gregorio
Director: Alejandro Agresti
Running Time: 79 minutes
US MPAA rating: PG-13UK BBFC rating: PG
Drama
On DVD Once the Hollywood studios have latched onto a formula which can make money in the mass market, they will stick to it like leeches, gorging themselves and sapping away any vitality that it might originally have had. Which is why most films about pre-teens conform slavishly to the 'Home Alone' model, according to which children are annoyingly cute wise-asses from stable middle-class families. At first Alejandro Agresti's 'Valentin' looks as though it too will follow the Hollywood handbook. For it is quickly established that Valentin (Rodrigo Noya) is an adorable eight year old who, when he is not practising spacewalks and moon landings, is unafraid to speak his mind to the adults around him.
It quickly becomes apparent, however, that 'Valentin' is far from Planet Hollywood. Set in Buenos Aires, immediately prior to Apollo 11's lunar mission in 1969, it portrays a boy whose cravings for a normal, secure homelife seem no less fanciful than his dream of being first to land on the moon. Valentin lives with his lonely, impoverished grandmother (Carmen Maura) - his barely remembered mother left years ago, and his 'busy' father seldom appears, and is ill-tempered when he does so. Desperate for parental love, Valentin gravitates towards an eccentric music teacher who lives nearby (Rufo, played by Mex Urtizberea), and one of his father's string of girlfriends (the beautiful Leticia, played by Juliet Cardinali) - but before he can reinvent his life, he must face some painful home truths.
Set in a time when revolution was in the air and dreams seemed possible, the story of 'Valentin' unfolds in a background of evocative period detail, without ever indulging in rose-tinted nostalgia. A priest preaches on the self-sacrifice of Che Guevara - and half the congregation walks out. Armstrong reaches the moon - and Valentin is brought down to earth. The world seems full of possibility and hope - but only a year later political repression would grip Argentina. Valentin's childlike incomprehension and (literally) cross-eyed perspective on events are central to the film, but Agresti carefully avoids oversentimentalising the boy. Valentin may be cute, but he is also profoundly unhappy, in one scene disarming his uncle with a series of questions about the desirability of death - and the film also unsettles us with the image of a young child myopically repeating the casual misogynies and anti-semitism of the adults around him.
Behind these uncomfortably realistic touches in the film is Alejandro Agresti's semi-autobiographical script - and his decision to play the unpleasant character based on his own father brings all sorts of poignant resonances to the rôle. Without doubt, though, the real star here is newcomer Rodrigo Noya, who never overplays Valentin's sense of loss and betrayal.
There is no shortage of films with the power to move, but 'Valentin' is also subtle and personal. Just pray that Hollywood does not attempt a remake.
DVD Extras: English subtitles; choice of Dolby 2.0/5.1; an excellent twelve-minute interview (in English) with writer/director Alejandro Agresti, discussing the film's autobiographical elements, the casting of Rodrigo Noyas, the story's political context, and the difficulty of playing his own father; trailer; trailers for other Métrodome titles; bios of Alejandro Agresti, Carmen Maura and Julia Cardinale.
It's Got: Excellent child acting, a subtle script, and barely concealed pain.
It Needs: To spark a revival in films about children that do not leave you wanting to gag.
Alternatives: 'My Life as a Dog', 'Léolo', 'Kolya', Good Bye, Lenin!, 'Amelie'
Summary: 'Just a little story' perhaps, but this bittersweet coming-of-age drama travels well beyond the orbit of Planet Hollywood.
External Links
Official Web Site
Valentín at the IMDB
