The Whore and the Whale (2004)
"La puta y la ballena" (original title)

A Spanish writer finds an old coffer with photographs of an Argentine man who fought and died in the Spanish Civil War, and of a woman. Her quest for answers brings Vera to the Argentine ... See full summary »

Director:

Luis Puenzo

Writers:

Ángeles González Sinde, Lucía Puenzo,

Stars:

Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Pep Munné

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo Sbaraglia	...	Emilio
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón	...	Vera
Pep Munné	...	Jordi
Mercè Llorens	...	Lola
Martín Caloni	...	Juanito
Pompeyo Audivert	...	El gringo Orestes
Miguel Ángel Solá	...	Suárez
Nicolás Tognola	...	El Pibe Pedro
Belén Blanco	...	Matilde
Natalia Otero	...	Prostituta
Carola Reyna	...	Meme
Lydia Lamaison	...	Matilde
Óscar Guzmán	...	Urondo
Edward Nutkiewicz	...	Ernesto
Nina Krakoff	...	Prostitute

Storyline

A Spanish writer finds an old coffer with photographs of an Argentine man who fought and died in the Spanish Civil War, and of a woman. Her quest for answers brings Vera to the Argentine Patagonia.

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Plot Keywords:

patagonia | whale | flashback | end of the world | animal in title | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [ar]

Country:

Argentina Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

1 April 2004 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

A szajha és a bálna

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company Credits

Production Co:

Historias Cinematograficas Cinemania, Patagonik Film Group, Wanda Visión S.A.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

I'm free because I was born that way

One of the beauties of this film is that it is shot in a location completely different to North America. The colours and contours of South America are an extraordinary backdrop to this meditative film on what it means to be a truly free spirit. What happens to such a person if they are betrayed, in the one case by a lover and in the other case, by an illness.

A novelist, goes on an assignment to write about certain photographs from the 1930's and through a mixture of fortune and persistence comes across a tangled tale of love and betrayal from that turbulent era. Aitana Sánchez-Gijón very convincingly plays the novelist who discovers she has cancer whilst on her assignment. Gradually, through her own pain and despair, she learns the truth about La Puta, the Whore, ably depicted by Mercè Llorens. The 1930's in a remote part of Patagonia, is recreated in a way that gradually illustrates the danger that lurks in the extraordinary dance, the Argentine Tango.

This is not a perfect film but it is powerful and well worth watching. The themes of being stranded, the nature of freedom and love, weave throughout this nicely nuanced drama. "I'm not free because they let me go; I'm free because I was born that way" is one of the more powerful quotes in the film.