hyped garbage

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Didn't like the movie at all. It's the story of a bored man who gets into trouble just because he doesn't know what to do. It was disappointing. The ending is what you expect in any Argentinean movie... Just nothing. I give it 3 stars only because Dolores Fonzi is the cutest thing alive. I do not recommend it. If you want to see a good Argentinean movie, go for ¨Relatos Salvajes¨ or ¨El Secreto Se Sus Ojos¨. And If you really feel like going for an indie movie, I even liked ¨Wakolda¨ better than this one... Or ¨XXY¨.

Yet another masterpiece by Ricardo Dari. Movie is about an epileptic taxidermist who goes with his friend on a hunting trip. He has always fantasized about committing a perfectly planned heist. Fate gives him a chance to execute one when he goes on a hunting trip. Once at the hunting grounds they are forced to stay in a isolated mansion with some very strange people. What follows is a turn of events that almost has him killed. Ricardo, as usual presents the character with absolute perfection....one of my personal favorites is the part where he is about to get an epileptic attack and he "surrenders" to it. The way he acts is something only Ricardo can perform. The end is somewhat disappointing though. But nevertheless this movie is something worth spending time on.

The Aura (2005)A special film, set in southern Argentina, that plays with the interior mechanizing thoughts of a taxidermist with epilepsy who by accident is on the fringe of a major crime. The leading man, Esteban, played by Ricardo Darin, is penetrating and subtle and persuasive. The story supports his high level of sheer acting by turning and turning further as you go. There are times it seems slow, for sure, but the deliberate pace is something like the deliberate thinking done on screen by Esteban.One of the brave strengths of the style of filming has become common in the last decade or two--we see something happen and only later realize it is completely imagined by the character. The surprise is fun, and your mind has to quickly reposition yourself as a viewer to what the current reality actually is. This happens right away and it's a brilliant kind of storytelling. In a similar way, we see Esteban's thoughts race visually as he thinks through his answers--a fast series of mental images from earlier observations has him logically assembling his next move right before our eyes. The effect is both fast and engaging. And Darin is so likable and respectable in his quiet brooding, it's easy to join him in his head.Director and writer Fabian Bielinsky shows brilliant planning and a lyrical photographic vision (with cinematographer Checco Varese), and it's a sad loss to read he died just after the release of this movie. If you can adjust to the methodical pace, and enjoy the construction and psychology of movies like this ("Memento" comes to mind as a flashier American film in a similar vein), you'll really appreciate it. Yes, it reveals its cleverness a little too much sometimes, or adds characters (like the guy at the casino) who are interesting and yet end up a it peripheral. You can study and quibble over the details in a movie like this. But overall it's a special film, worth watching with appreciation.

One mark of a good film is the way that it develops from its premise - a good film will move in ways that, while plausible, take the audience to places they did not expect. 'El Aura', Fabien Bielinsky's superbly crafted film, is a perfect illustration of this; although it could be summarised as a crime thriller, it defies the genre, and builds its story carefully and slyly. Moreover, while its epileptic hero (played excellently by Ricardo Darin) may stumble slowly into a belief in the "perfect crime", the film itself displays no such laziness. This movie lasts for well over two hours, and the pace is superficially slow; but the film never drags. There's plenty of gorgeous Patagonian scenery in the background as well.