Waiting for the Messiah (2000)
"Esperando al mesías" (original title)

In 1999, Argentina's peso craters. Ariel, a young man from Buenos Aires' Jewish community, deals with his mother's fatal illness, finds a job as a night shift surveillance camera monitor, ... See full summary »

Director:

Daniel Burman

Writers:

Daniel Burman, Emiliano Torres

Stars:

Daniel Hendler, Enrique Piñeyro, Héctor Alterio

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Hendler	...	Ariel Goldstein
Enrique Piñeyro	...	Santamaría
Héctor Alterio	...	Simón
Melina Petriella	...	Estela
Stefania Sandrelli	...	Elsa
Chiara Caselli	...	Laura
Gabriela Acher	...	Sara
Imanol Arias	...	Baltasar
Dolores Fonzi	...	Any
Edda Bustamante	...	Mujer trampa
Tajma Minoru	...	Oriental
Juan José Flores Quispe	...	Ramón
Eduardo Wigutow	...	Moshé Levin
Beatriz Thibaudin	...	Anciana
Sandra Sandrelli	...	Santa

Storyline

In 1999, Argentina's peso craters. Ariel, a young man from Buenos Aires' Jewish community, deals with his mother's fatal illness, finds a job as a night shift surveillance camera monitor, and wonders when he'll discover sex. Santamaria, middle aged, loses his bank job and is dismissed by his wife; he finds stolen wallets in dumpsters to return to their owners. Ariel tells Santamaria's story to a TV reporter who profiles lives on the street. She's Laura, in a relationship with another woman, but perhaps available. Ariel desires Laura, while Santamaria courts Elsa, a washroom attendant who's husband is in prison. Christmas and Hanukkah approach; can anyone connect?

---

Plot Keywords:

christmas | night shift | hanukkah | judaism | washing clothes | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Spain Italy Argentina

Language:

Spanish Yiddish

Release Date:

25 May 2000 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Waiting for the Messiah

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company Credits

Production Co:

Astrolabio Producciones S.L., BD Cine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Donkey Kong (1981)

User Reviews

Two Men at a Crossroads

Two Men at a Crossroads "Waiting for the Messiah" shows us two different worlds and two different men and how each deals with personal and professional loss.

Ariel is a young man living in Once, the predominately Jewish neighborhood of Buenos Aires, a city that also has Latin America's largest Jewish community. The path of Ariel's life is clear and certain: marriage to Estela, a beautiful waitress working in his father's restaurant, followed by children, and a long life in the tight-knit neighborhood he's always known.

But the unexpected death of Ariel's mother and the temporary closing of the family restaurant because of Argentina's economic crisis lead Ariel, an amateur filmmaker, to leave the Once barrio each day for a night shift job editing video tape. There Ariel meets Elsa, a lesbian who makes him reconsider his earlier choices.

The life of Santamaria, a middle aged, middle class bank clerk, is also transformed by Argentina's economic problems. Santamaria is thrown out of work and dumped by his wife when his bank closes. Soon he's living on the streets and reduced to rummaging through trash to find stolen identification cards that he can return to owners in hopes of a reward. Santamaria yearns for the conventional wife and the family life that Ariel is considering escaping.

"Waiting for the Messiah" skillfully weaves together the stories of Ariel and the people of their lives as each man explores what to do next. Though the ending feels forced and almost tacked on as an afterthought, the stories that take you there are entertaining and absorbing. The real strength of this movie, however, lies in the glimpses it offers of Jewish life in Argentina and how ordinary people have coped with the country's latest round of economic troubles.

7/10