Filmmaking duo delivery co-produced crowd-pleaser.
Proving that love is not a feeling reserved solely for the young, this unlikely portrait about sixty-something sibling rivalry from the Uruguayan directing team of Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll is filled with the kind of melancholic humor usually reserved for a Kaurismäki text. Symbolically addressing both the challenged Argentinean economy and the sentiments from an older trio, Whisky is a slow-paced comedy that doesn’t contain much dialogue but lets the actions speak louder than words. Featured to the background of an outdated sock manufacturer – Jacobo, the plant manager with a working crew of less than three concocts a plan with faithful employee Martha to make Jacobo’s brother Herman’s sudden visit an impressive one. As the three take a side trip in the country – the reunion stirs up feelings of jealousy, competitiveness and bitterness, but for Martha, a little lipstick and the presence of stomach butterflies makes for the passionate break from her regular routine. The slow-pacing of the film matched with the still camera allows for the more subtle moments to reflect their slight changes in moods and the flourishing of emotions show that life is not to be lived like a prison sentence. Plainly simple and effectively low-key, this winner of FIPRESCI and Un Certain Regard original awards at this year’s Cannes, Whisky is a charming piece of national cinema worthy of international attention.
